Last night a young man dropped by. I’ve been helping him with his writing. A friend of my stepson, he’s very talented but his English skills are definitely in need of sharpening. I’ve been helping him edit a story he’s written about a man who robs a convenience store, drives north to Alaska and along the way winds up breaking into a house on a lake and  meeting his past in the frozen waters surrounding him.

The first time he brought the story to me I asked him to read it aloud.  He didn’t get far before admitting the lack of punctuation, poor grammar and spelling made it a tough read.

“Stories are meant to be shared,” I told him. “You’ve got a really interesting and creative story here but if you don’t pay attention to the details, the sharing of your story will be limited to friends and family willing to take the time to figure out for themselves what you wanted to say. As a writer, you need to reach out to your audience through language that not only sings, it needs to be readable.”

He took the story away and began cleaning it up. We met a few times before Christmas and last week he phoned to tell me he had more ready to be reviewed. “I think you’ll be really proud of me,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard.”

And he had. And I was, proud of him.

He’s signed up for a creative writing course at the University. He’s working on a novel. He is excited and committed and eager to write. And I am encouraging him.

My stepson thanked me not long ago for working with his friend. “He’s really gifted but no one really spends much time supporting him,” he said. “Thanks for doing that.”

And when the young man left after a two and a half hour editing session last night, he shook my hand and thanked me. I cautioned him to get some medical advice on a jellyfish bite he received over the holidays in Costa Rica. He’s got some weird skin discoloration happening and it needs attention. “I will,” he promised and added as he left, “Thank you for being concerned about my well-being.”

It doesn’t take much, caring about others. Making a difference.

And so much can happen when we do.

We can all do it. Share our wisdom, our knowledge, our care. Be a mentor. Take someone under our wing. Give a young person support. Inspire someone to reach for their dreams.

We can all do it. Let’s.