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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.
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.
--
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