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DREAMS
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.
1) You have to laugh and find humor every day.
2) 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!
3) 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 ability. The idea is to grow up
by always finding the opportunity in change.
4) 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
began 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.
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. |
