Five Life Lessons

[Cowgirl Chris]

> > Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.
> >
> >
> > 1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
> >
> > During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz.
> > I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions
> > until I read the last one:
> >
> > "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
> > Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman
> > several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how
> > would I know her name?
> >
> > I hand ed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before
> > class ended, one student asked if the last question would count
> > toward our quiz grade.
> >
> > "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet
> > many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and
> > care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."
> >
> > I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was
> > Dorothy.
> >
> > 2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
> >
> > One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was
> > standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a
> > lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately
> > needed a ride.
> > Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
> > A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those
> > conflict-filled 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get
> > assistance and put her into a taxicab.
> >
> > She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and
> > thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door.
> > To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.
> > A special note was attached..
> >
> > It read:
> > "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night.
> > The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you
> > came along.
> > Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside
> > just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and
> > unselfishly serving others."
> >
> > Sincerely,
> > Mrs. Nat King Cole.
> >
> > 3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
> >
> >
> > In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
> > a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and
> > sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in
> > front of him.
> >
> > "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
> >
> > "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
> >
> > The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and
> > studied the coins in it.
> >
> > "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.
> >
> > By now more people were waiting for a table and the
> > waitress was growing impatient.
> >
> > "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
> >
> > The little boy again counted his coins.
> >
> > "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.
> >
> > The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
> > the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
> > cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress
> > came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
> > table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
> > were two nickels and five pennies..
> >
> > You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had
> > to have enough left to leave her a tip.
> >
> > 4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
> >
> > In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
> > roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
> > anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
> > king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
> > and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
> > King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did
> > anything about getting the stone out of the way.
> >
> > Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
> > vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
> > peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
> > stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
> > and straining, he finally succeeded. After the
> > peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
> > a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
> > been. The purse con tained many gold coins and a note
> > from the King indicating that the gold was for the
> > person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The
> > peasant learned what many of us never understand!
> >
> > Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve
> > our condition.
> >
> > 5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
> >
> > Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
> > hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
> > was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only
> > chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
> > transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
> > miraculously survived the same disease and had
> > developed the antibodies needed to combat the
> > illness. The doctor explained the situation to her
> > little brother, and asked the little boy if he would
> > be willing to give his blood to his sister.
> >
> > I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
> > deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will
> > save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in
> > bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,
> > seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his
> > face grew pale and his smile faded.
> >
> > He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
> > trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".
> >
> > Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
> > doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
> > sister all of his blood in order to save her.

[kathleen]

Thanks Chris,
But you always seem to be able to move me to either end of the spectrum. Either I'm laughing or I'm crying.

[NeSs]

I enjoyed reading that, especially the first.

[Xavier]

That was beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[Cowgirl Chris]

Originally Posted by kathleen

Thanks Chris,
But you always seem to be able to move me to either end of the spectrum. Either I'm laughing or I'm crying.

I really don't mean to make you cry, now the laughing part you can blame on me

[cfulhage]

That last one was so sweet!