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This is a rose of a many colors...watch and see
The
first day of school our professor introduced himself and
challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I
stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I
turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at
me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty seven
years old. Can I give you a hug?"
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course, you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel." "No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a
chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the
next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop.
I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine"
as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and easily
made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she
reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other
students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we
invited Rose to speak at our football banquet and I'll never
forget what she taught us.
She was
introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver
her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the
floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the
microphone and simply said "I'm sorry. I'm so jittery. I
gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never
get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: "We do not
stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop
playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being
happy, and achieving success.
"You have to laugh and find humor every day."
"You've
got to have a dream.
When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!"
"There is a huge difference between growing
older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change."
"Have no regrets.
The
elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did,but rather for
things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those
with regrets."
She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out
in our daily lives.
At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun
all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died
peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students
attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught
by example that it's
Never Too Late to be young.
The Rose
Some say love, it is a river that drowns
the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower, and you it's only seed.
It's the heart, afraid of breaking, that never learns to dance
It's the dream, afraid of waking, that never takes a chance.
It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give.
And the soul, afraid of dyin', that never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too
long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows,
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes
The Rose.
Artist: Bette Midler....Words
& Lyrics by: Amanda McBroom
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