Subject: 5 stories


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 and 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.

Attitude, after all, is everything. You have 2 choices
now:

   1. Save or delete this mail from your mailbox, or
   2. Forward it to people you care about. 
      I Hope you will choose No. 2.

Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching.