- Nov 10, 2002
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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 student
and had breezed through the questions until I read
the 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 question
blank. Just before class ended, one student 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. They
deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say 'hello.'
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]One night, at 11:3 0 p.m., an older African American[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]woman was standing on the side of an[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]Alabama[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]highway[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]broken down and she desperately needed a ride.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]A young white man stopped to help her, generally[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s.. The man[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]took her to safety, helped her get assistance and[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]put her into a taxicab.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]giant console color TV was delivered to his home.[/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times] [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times] A[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]special note was attached.. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]It read:[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]the other night. The rain drenched not only my[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]husband's bedside just before he passed away... God[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]others.'[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King [/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times]Cole[/FONT]
3- Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]sat at a table. A[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]waitress put a glass of water in front of him.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]studied the coins in it.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]By now more people were waiting for a table and the[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]waitress was growing impatient.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]The little boy again counted his coins.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times]table. There, placed neatly beside the empty[/FONT] [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]dish,[/FONT]
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 if
anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the
king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by
and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King 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 of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the
peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing
and straining, he finally succeeded. After the
peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed
a purse lying in the road where the boulder had
been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the
person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only
chance of recovery appeared to be a blood
transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had
miraculously survived the same disease and had
developed the antibodies needed to combat the
illness.. The doctor explained the situation to her
little brother, and asked the little boy if he would
be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will
save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in
bed 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 a
trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away'.
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
sister all of his blood in order to save her
but he had chosen to save her anyway.
Now you have 2 choices.
1. Delete this email, or
2. Forward it to people you care about.
I hope that you will choose No. 2
'Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching.'
NOW more than ever - Peace...Pass It On
