An online friend, as good a friend as you can make without actually having met in person, wrote to thank me for helping her dream again. She said she'd given up on hoping for anything better than she already had, and had even begun giving up on life itself. She credited me with reviving her hopes and dreams, and even her will to live.

That's a pretty powerful confession, but honestly, I didn't do anything extraordinary. All I did was encourage her and offer my sincere opinion on her issues. The seed of hope was there all along, I just watered it with a little encouragement to help it grow.

The point is, words are very powerful. You never know when one tiny thought will take root and grow and make a real difference in someones life. Conversely, you never know when one thoughtless remark will hit a tender spot and cut to the bone. Either can affect someone for years to come.

Each of us has power we don't always realize. I'm a pretty ordinary fellow in real life. Receding hairline, a couple extra pounds around the middle. Ordinary as I am, to the degree someone allows it, I have the power to build up or tear down another person. Let's all strive to be life builders.

If there's someone in your life who's helped you through a hard time or helped you grow as a person, take a moment to thank them. It sure made my day.

Her thank you reminded me how grand it feels to really do some good in someone elses life. It's so easy to get caught up in daily living that we often neglect the truly important matters, like that of nurturing others and our own souls.

So, we've given each other a precious gift. Another goodie of life, passed from friend to friend and back again. It completed a circle, wherein, the good you do comes back to you - sometimes when you least expect it, sometimes when you need it most.

There is a destiny that makes us brothers
None goes his way alone
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.
- Markham