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~ ROSE
~
Rose teaches a
lesson . . .
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 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 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.
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