STORY

[preet jain]

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 staring 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.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll 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.

 

[karthikGmba]

Another True Story --- How God wants U & Me
----------------------

A little girl stood near a small church from which she
had been turned away because it was "too crowded."

"I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the
pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor
guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took
her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday
school class. The child was so happy that they found
room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking
of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of
the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for
the kindhearted pastor who had befriended
their daughter to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and
crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been
rummaged from some trash dump.

Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in
childish handwriting, which read: "This is to help
build the little church bigger so more children can go
to Sunday School."

For two years she had saved for this offering of love.


When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew
instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the
cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the
story of her unselfish love and devotion.


He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough
money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there...
A newspaper learned of the story and published It. It
was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them
a parcel of land worth many thousands.

When told that the church could not pay so much, he
offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from
far and wide.
Within five years the little girl's gift had increased
to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the
turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid
large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia , look up
Temple Baptist Church , with a seating capacity of
3,300. And be sure to visit TempleUniversity, where
thousands of students are educated.

Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and
at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of
beautiful children, built so that no child in the area
will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school
time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the
picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57
cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable
history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind
pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book,
"Acres of Diamonds".

This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN
DO WITH 57 CENTS.



It doesn't matter if its just 57 cents.. U never know how big it is for some1 else..