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 50’s, 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 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 1960’s. The man
> took her to safety, helped her get assistance and
> put her into a taxicab.
>
> 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 ha d
> 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.
