Subject: Lessons of Life from some friends
MOST IMPORTANT
QUESTION
During my second month of nursing school, our
professor gave us a 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.
SAY A PRAYER
I was taking my usual morning walk when a
garbage truck pulled up beside me. I thought the driver was
going to ask for directions. Instead, he showed me a picture of
a cute little five-year-old boy. "This is my grandson,
Jeremiah," he said. "He's on a life-support system at a Phoenix
hospital." Thinking he would next ask for a contribution to his
hospital bills, I reached for my wallet. But he wanted
something more than money. He said, "I'm asking everybody I can
to say a prayer for him. Would you say one for him, please?" I
did. And my problems didn't seem like much that day.
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
combination console color TV and stereo record player were
delivered to his home. A special note was attached. The note
read: "Dear Mr. James, 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."
GIVING BLOOD
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer
at Stanford Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liza
who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her
five-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 Liza." 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 her all his blood.
TWO NICKELS AND FIVE
PENNIES
In the days when an ice cream sunday 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 sunday?" "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.
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at
dave@pmbc.com or
please sign our guestbook
also check out my list of
Useless Facts Plus my Lessons of
Life from some friends, my
Hidden Faces Page
Any Comments are welcome
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Last modified: Monday, 05-May-2008 11:10:31 MST