Sometimes our light goes out…..
But it is blown again, into flame,
By an encounter with another human being.
Each of us owes our deepest thanks
To those who have rekindled…….
This inner light.

- Albert Schweitzer

When I was in ROTC in college one of my better friends in the squad was a Senior named “Dennis.” Dennis hated heights. So when we had to rappel off a 50 foot tower, Dennis would get violently sick. He’d vomit and shake before he even began climbing the ladder. Looking back now I can see that his fear was a foreshadowing. But at the time, I just felt sorry for him. I had no fear and would jump off a tower facing forward, backward, upside down. Didn’t matter to me. I loved it. I wanted him to love it - or to at least enjoy it, not fear it. But I didn’t know what to do.

Somewhere along the way I started standing behind Dennis and holding his elbow, or touching him in some way, letting him know it was okay, I was there and I knew it was hard for him and that was okay. I’d joke with him about something, anything to draw his attention away from the fact he was about to have to jump off a building. It helped. Eventually he could rappel without getting sick, even though he never liked it. But it helped.

The last thing I remember him saying to me as we stood at the base of the student center, putting on our gear for another climb was, “You’re a Christian, aren’t you.” It was statement more than question.

“You have to be to be so kind. I can tell. Thank you,” he said, shrugging at the ropes and carabiners we held. “Thank you for your kindness.”

The joking, the slaps on the back, the quick touches had helped him and he appreciated it. The next time I saw Dennis, it was not him, but his photo on the front page of the college newspaper. He’d died over the weekend when he fell down an elevator shaft in his dormitory. Not only was Dennis afraid of heights, he was claustrophobic. He was engaged to be married, about ready to graduate and had gone drinking with friends. He got on the elevator to go to his room and it stalled at the top, stopping between floors. Intoxicated, frightened and then panic-stricken, he pried open the elevator doors and made a jump for the upper floor. His hands slipped and he fell to the bottom of the shaft, dying when he was impaled on the equipment at the bottom.

Like I said, foreshadowing…..

When I read this quote, his face and his comment flashed to mind.

Sometimes our light goes out…..
But it is blown again, into flame,
By an encounter with another human being.
Each of us owes our deepest thanks
To those who have rekindled…….
This inner light.

Something as small as a touch and a bit of laughter helped reassure Dennis. I wondered if someone had reached out to him on the elevator, or on the floor above, if he’d have pried open the doors, or if he would have waited. We never know how much of a difference a bottle of cold water, a ride, a kind word, or an invitation to lunch, or even just a quick phone call will make.

It doesn’t take much to make a difference. Only a gentle breath, a kind word, a hand on an arm or a hug can make a difference. It’s the encounter with another human being that matter. It’s your compassion, your smile, your patience, your hope that can rekindle the flame Schweitzer talks about.

This is a new week. Kindle a flame in someone today, and every day if you can. You never know how much a difference it will make in their lives.

Thanks for this quote goes to Peggy Wilkerson, “Screams of Consciousness.” She has a great blog - check it out.

To those who have posted, commented, emailed and contacted me through this blog and the TED site - You have continued to rekindle the flame within me. Thank you.