Monday, September 25, 2006

A Beautiful Story - Don't miss it!

The first day of school our professor introduced him self and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look aroundwhen a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..." "No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
\n\n"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I\'m getting\none!" she told me.\n\n\nAfter class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. \n\nWe became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and\ntalk non-stop. I was always mesmerized listening to\nthis "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. \n\nOver the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.\nShe loved to dress up and she revelled in the\nattention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. \n\nAt the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I\'ll never forget what she\ntaught us. She was introduced and stepped up to\nthe podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the\nfloor. \n\nFrustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I\'m sorry\nI\'m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this\nwhiskey is killing me! I\'ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." \n\nAs we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "! We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow\nold because we stop playing. \n\nThere are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh\nand find humour every day. You\'ve got to have a",1]
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"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk non-stop. I was always mesmerized listening tothis "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revelled in theattention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up tothe podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and thiswhiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "! We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You've got to have a
\ndream. When you lose your dreams, you die. \n\nWe have so many people walking around who are dead and don\'t even know it! \n\nThere is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. \n\nIf you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don\'t do one productive thing, you\nwill turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven\nyears old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. \n\nAnybody can grow older. That doesn\'t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding\nopportunity in change. Have no regrets. \n\nThe elderly usually don\'t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The\nonly people who fear death are those with\nregrets." \n\nShe concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." \n\nShe challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the\nyear\'s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun\nall those years ago. \n\nOne week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. \n\nOver two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught\nby example that it\'s never too late to be all you\ncan possibly be. \n\nWhen you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family,\nthey\'ll really enjoy it! \n\nThese words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE. \n\nREMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We\nmake a ",1]
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dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-sevenyears old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those withregrets." She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose." She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begunall those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all youcan possibly be. When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it! These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE. REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a
Living by what we get; we make a Life by what we give. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. "Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there."

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

mind blowing

10:29 PM  

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