My Name is Rose
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 children, and then retire and travel."
"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 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 years 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.
-- Author Unknown
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