The first day of school. (story)

[Russ]

Got this in an e-mail
Maybe it's been posted but it's worth repeating.

Whether your religious or not, there is a positive message here.

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 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 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 months 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.

[mauimagic]

Have never heard this before Russ, and am so glad that you shared it - what a wonderful story!! Definitely worth sharing with everyone!! Mahalo plenty!!

[ubumartin]

What an inspirational woman. How lucky you were to get to know her. Thanks for sharing her words of wisdom.

[Russ]

What an inspirational woman. How lucky you were to get to know her. Thanks for sharing her words of wisdom.

I wish I did know her. But I can not take credit for the story. I read it, believe it or not, on a diesel truck forum and felt that it was definitely worth sharing with everyone.

[Ivvy]

Thank you so much for sharing. What an amazing story!

This made me cry as it kind of hits close to home. I was born and raised into a religious cult (I've been out for a few years now) that frowned upon and outright discouraged the young ones from pursuing a college education as they view it to be a worthless endeavor when so close to 'the time of the end'.

To make a long, long story short, I struggle everyday with my bitterness of being 10 years late on my college education and a career that I so badly want to pursue, and I continue telling myself that you're never too old and its never too late to do something you love.

[imagine]

Great story Russ Thanks for sharing.

The college I attended let local senior citizens attend classes and get credit for free.

They did this to keep the older people thinking and active and because they believed the older people had some much to teach us as college students.

A win win situation