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, 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.
'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 revelled 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 humour
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 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 months 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.
Pass this message on to 7 people.You will receive a
miracle tomorrow (if you don't think so....look out your window
when you wake in the morning and think about it )
If you choose not, then you refuse to bless someone
else.
'Good friends are like stars..... .....You don't always see
them, but you know they are always there.'
