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.
[Received from Email, Adrian Rose]
Supported
by: The
ARK Foundation of Dayton, Inc. a non profit organization since June
1995,
We support true
science
and Biblical religion. email: ARKY
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