curlymae29
10-11-2003, 05:42 AM
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged
>us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look
>around when 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, 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. "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 nonstop. I was
>always mesmerized listening to this "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 reveled in the attention 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 to the 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 this whiskey 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 humor every day. You've got to have a 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-seven years 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 the 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 with
>regrets."
>
>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
begun
>all 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 you can 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. Lord I love You and I need You, come into my
>heart, Today. For without You I can do nothing.
>us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look
>around when 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, 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. "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 nonstop. I was
>always mesmerized listening to this "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 reveled in the attention 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 to the 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 this whiskey 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 humor every day. You've got to have a 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-seven years 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 the 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 with
>regrets."
>
>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
begun
>all 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 you can 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. Lord I love You and I need You, come into my
>heart, Today. For without You I can do nothing.