Five Lessons
1 - Most Important Lesson
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.
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 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, 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 his 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 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 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 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 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
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 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.
You see, after all, understanding and attitude, are everything.
Now you have 2 choices....
1. Go to another page.
2. Email this page :
to the people you care about.
And remember.....
"Work like you don't need the money,
love like you've never been hurt
and dance like you do when nobody's watching
Steve and Brigid 
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