YSRRider
Key Veteran
Location: Ingleside/Fox Lake, IL
| The Important Things Life Teaches You...
~ 1 ~ Most Important Question
During my second month of nursing school, 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 handed in my paper, leaving the last
question blank.
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 ~ Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 PM, 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 1960s. The man took
her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She
seemed to be in a big hurry! She wrote down his address, thanked him and
drove away.
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 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 ~ 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 & sat at a table. A waitress put a
glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?"
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out
of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. "How much is a
dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table
and the waitress was a bit impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said
brusquely. The little boy again counted the 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
departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and
then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the
empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies - her tip.
~ 4 ~ 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 big stone out of the way. Then a peasant
came along carrying a load of vegetables. On 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. As the peasant
picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where
the boulder had been. The purse contained 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 others never
understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.
~ 5 ~ Giving Blood
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford Hospital,
I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and
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 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 Liz."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and
smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. 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 boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was
going to have to give his sister all of his blood. Let's ask ourselves: "Am I, in any way, giving up what I want so that someone else can have what they need?" |
