" I had this emailed to me just a few secs ago, thought I'd share.....



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.'

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.

Ella my dear, I have been looking for you since I have got back to this site, miss you so...how are you, hope all is fine, plz add me again...miss all the laughs.

Profound

that is so very true the sad part about society most of the older people could teach you things not found in a text book or on google.still most people under50 or 60 seem to think we are nuts or senile, they don't want to hear it.

That was such a beautiful, and uplifting story Noden

May Rose rest in peace. She sounds like she was an amazing woman.

Thank you so much for sharing.

thanks for sharing such a wonderful experience

Noden, this is an incredible post. Thankyou for taking time to share it with us!

The Rose

some say love, it is a river
that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor,
that leads the soul to bleed.
some say love, it is a hunger,
an endless aching need,
but I say love it is a flower,
and you it's only seed.

It's the heart afraid afraid of breaking,
that never learns to dance,
and the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance.
It's the one, who won't be taken
that can not seem to give
and the soul afraid of dying
that never learns to live

and the night has been too lonely
and the road has been too long
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and th strong

but remember in the winter
far beneath the bitter snow
lays the seed that with the suns love
in the spring becomes the rose

Awww, And she sang that song

thank you, for that song lryics, it does this post justice....invisible

I am so happy you have shared your feelings on this.

Blessed is her for your comments, I am sure she heard your tears for her.

I happen to love that song,
ever did since I heard it first.
It's in my heart forever.

'Good friends are like stars.........You don't always see them, but you know they are always there. '

hiya catch, I remember your post, but you may have forgotten mine...nice to see ya again though.

((((Noden)))) I remember you my friend!
I was reading in between watching the news on the fires sorry my post was short..

That okay, isn't it horrible what happened, geeez, pretty scary stuff...with people dying in there, ooooh, I feel so bad for them, I heard 5 where gone this morning, but then I got busy today, then with the migrane, well, that didn't help matters.

But is nice to hear from you.. stop into 4:20 if you want a puff pass.