The first day of school our professor introduced him 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 share 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 machines 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
on
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.
