jones

pass this on...

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.





During my second month of college, 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 p.m., an older African American


woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway


trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. 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 taxicab.





She seemed t o 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 is 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,


was one quarter, two dimes 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 & 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 cheek. 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.