[StBernard] 5 Great Lessons

[Westley Annis]

	> 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, at11:30 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 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 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, 
	> 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 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 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 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 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 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. 
	> 
	> 
	> Now you have 2 choices. 
	> 
	> 1. Delete this email, or 
	> 2. Forward it to people you care about. 
	> I hope that you will choose No. 2 and remember...... 
	> 
	> "Work like you don't need the money, 
	> 
	> love like you've never been hurt, 
	> 
	> and dance like you do when nobody's watching." 
	> 
	> 
	> Pass It On.....Pay It Foward! 
	> 
	> 
	>