The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didnāt already know.
I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me
with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, āHi handsome. My name is Rose. Iām eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?ā
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, āOf course you may!ā and she gave me a giant squeeze.
āWhy are you in college at such a young, innocent age?ā I asked.
She jokingly replied, āIām here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kidsā¦ā
āNo seriously,ā I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
āI always dreamed of having a college education and now Iām getting one!ā 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 ātime machineā
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. Iāll 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, āIām sorry Iām so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! Iāll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell
you what I know.ā
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, āWe 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.
Youāve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and donāt 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 donāt 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 doesnāt take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.
Have no regrets.
The elderly usually donāt have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those
with regrets.ā
She concluded her speech by courageously singing āThe Rose.ā
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the yearās 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 itās
never too late to be all you can possibly be .When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, theyāll really enjoy it!
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.
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