[StBernard] This is nice & very true!

[Westley Annis]

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,  and
have a couple of kids..." 
 
 
"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 she 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.
 
 
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."  
 
(this cracked me  up!)
 
 
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 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 all you
can possibly be.
 
 
These words  have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
 
 
REMEMBER,  GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
 
We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we  give.
 
 
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to  it,
He will bring you through it.  
 
 
"Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but  you
know they are always there."