Her Name Was Rose
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 children, and then retire and
travel." "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
non-stop. 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 everyday. 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
that it's never too late to be all you can
possibly be. If you read this, please send this peaceful word of advice
to your friends
and family, they'll really enjoy it! These words ares sent in loving memory
of ROSE.
Remember: GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY -- GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
[ Author Unknown -- submitted by: Alfred H. Dill ]
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