Lessons

Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady - During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious studentand had breezed through the questions until I readthe 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 questionblank. Just before class ended, one student t 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. Theydeserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned hername 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 highwaytrying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car hadbroken 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 mantook her to safety, helped her get assistance andput her into a taxicab.She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down hisaddress and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, agiant console color TV was delivered to his home. Aspecial note was attached..It read:"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highwaythe 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 dyinghusband's bedside just before he passed away... Godbless you for helping me and unselfishly servingothers." 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 andsat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water infront 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 andstudied 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 repl ied. 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 onthe table and walked away. The boy finished the icecream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitresscame back, she began to cry as she wiped down thetable. 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 ifanyone would remove the huge rock. Some of theking's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came byand simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed theKing 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 ofvegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, thepeasant laid down his burden and tried to move thestone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After thepeasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticeda purse lying in the road where the boulder hadbeen. The purse contained many gold coins and a notefrom the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. Thepeasant learned what many of us never understand!Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improveour condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts... Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at ahospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her onlychance of recovery appeared to be a bloodtransfusion from her 5-year old brother, who hadmiraculously survived the same disease and haddeveloped the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to herlittle brother, and asked the little boy if he wouldbe willing to give his blood to his sister.I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking adeep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it willsave her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay inbed 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 atrembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".Being young, the little boy had misunderstood thedoctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Most importantly.................. "Work like youdon't need the money, love like you've never beenhurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

NOW more than ever - Peace...Pass It On.....