Yesterday was a national celebration that I cannot allow to pass by without acknowledging. The fourth Tuesday of April is designated National Bus Driver Appreciation Day, It was loosely established in 1981 but not officially recognized until 2009 when the California State Assembly passed the appropriate legislation. Since then, other states have either adopted the same date or chosen another. For example, in 2025, the State of Ohio recognized May 5th as Bus Driver Appreciation Day.
“More than 18,000 school bus drivers in Ohio transport more than 1.2 million students over 170 million miles each year. At the same time, the school bus safety record is unsurpassed, greatly exceeding that of automobiles, airlines, and even passenger trains.”1 And, according to the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT), “Pupil Transportation in the U.S. is a large enterprise involving some 25 million children and nearly a half million buses moving them to and from schools every school day. In fact, school buses are the largest form of mass transit in the country.”2
Since February 2007, I’ve been part of those half million buses. I started driving to help put the kids through college and fully intended to quit once they were done. Well, that’s been quite a while ago and I’m still driving because I enjoy it and it has been a great opportunity to minister to these kids.
A few years ago, I wasn’t “feeling it” anymore and decided to stop driving. There was no reason to drive any longer and I believed it wasn’t making a difference. It was at that time that I received a letter from a parent at the beginning of a new school year who was glad to know I was their kids’ bus driver for another year. Some things were going on in the family, and he said that I was a positive constant in their lives. They looked forward to my smile each morning and talking with me. Never once did the kids talk about what was going on in the home. We just talked about stuff that interests kids and I gave them my attention. I didn’t think it was anything special but I found out a few years later that it had made a difference.
I don’t tell you that with any intent to pat myself on the back or with some inflated self-importance. I only share it with you because you may feel unimportant and that you aren’t making a difference when, in reality, you are. Somebody is benefiting from your kindness. Your smile, kind words, and treating them like they are somebody is making a connection in their hearts. This is impactful living.
Years ago, I had a man approach me. To say that he was “rough around the edges” would be an understatement. He didn’t fit in with the social norms and basic etiquette expectations and he knew it. However, it was evident to him that others knew it because they treated him differently, all except for two people. One of those was my dad. He said dad never talked down to him or looked down his nose at him. Dad always treated him like anyone else and with respect. This impacted the man and it impacted me when he shared this during dad’s funeral visitation.
Can one person really make a difference? Consider what God said to Abram after telling him to leave everything familiar and go to an unknown destination. “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2) THOU – you, singular, Abram. YOU will be a blessing. Did one person make a difference? Absolutely! To this day, the Jews refer to “father Abraham” and will say that they are a people of “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Dr. David Jeremiah writes, “In just a few more spins on its axis, our planet will have eight billion people. Scholars estimate the world’s population was about three hundred million in the day of Christ, and the world didn’t reach a billion people until the 1800s. Now look at all of us! There are two ways of considering this. We could say, “Who am I among so many?” Or we could say, “Wow! What a lot of people to influence!”
“Former governor Christine Todd Whitman said, “Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room.”
I’m not comparing us to mosquitos, but the point is well taken. Who knows the power of one small note, smile, tweet, post, sermon, invitation, or kind act? Everything done in the Name of Christ has an unseen pass-along effect, and there are more people than ever to receive and pass along the blessing.”3
Be a blessing today. Make an impact. Be the difference someone needs. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
1https://education.ohio.gov/Media/Ed-Connection/April-29-2025/School-Bus-Driver-Appreciation-Day
2https://www.napt.org/blog_home.asp?Display=64
3https://www.davidjeremiah.org/magazine/article/can-i-really-make-a-difference-279
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