One day back in the 1970’s while on leave from the military.

I was visiting a friend and we were sitting in their car in front of a hospital waiting for his wife to get off of work.

While sitting there, suddenly a screen popped out of a 2nd floor window and a child jumped out and started running towards the woods.

I instantly got out of the car and ran after him. Being the first to catch up to him there was time for him to tell me why he jumped out of the window and was trying to run away.

Of course as soon as the hospital officials caught up they took him away.

I spent the next couple of days going to the offices of elected officials and hospital administrators in hope of helping them consider a better solution to the dilemma the child explained to me.

Well, that made me AWOL and AWOL is not something you do when you are in the USMC and we are in war, Vietnam was still going on.

When I got back to base under those circumstances they made me tell the same story six different times in rooms each time with different people.

It seems that the story was somewhat unbelievable to many and it wasn’t that they were cold or callous people it was that the cynicism of the day, being in war and all, had jaded them to kindnesses.

Then I learned to always include the environment and situation of everyone involved.

Since then I have helped many people get out of this or that pit such as domestic violence, suicidal thoughts or drug addiction.

Of course once in a while I have been sucked in and played by a breed of people that are so hurt and angry that it has all but devastated my own life.

At time you will say: Do I quit, will I quit caring?

Nope don’t do it, why. That would be the easy and cowardly way out.

The only way we can get people up that are down is by giving them a hand and hoping they will grab it and decide to carry on.

You showing them genuine caring can be the turning point.

In almost all cases if you take the time to show by example and genuine caring they will wake up so to speak and realize that they do have the power to change things for the better.

And honestly the successes far outweigh the failures which are really not failures as much as some people just need more time to realize that they do have the power to make positive choices and get positive results, and that there are many other people who care.

The results in my life have been amazing, many people have never had anyone actually care for them.

So here is a big thanks to the helpers of the world, when they are gone the world will become a much darker place.

Never Give Up, Every Person Matters!

God Bless,

Michael Banker