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.
*crying*
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