1 - Most Important Lesson
During my second month of nursing school,
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
One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African
American woman was standing on the side of
an Alabama highway trying to endure a
lashing rain storm. Her car had broken
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 man took her to
safety, helped her get assistance and put
her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a
big hurry, but wrote down his address and
thanked him.
Seven days went by and a knock came on the
man's door. To his surprise, a giant
console color TV was delivered to his
home. A special note was attached. It
read: "Thank you so much for assisting me
on the highway the 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 dying
husband's bedside just before he passed
away. God bless you for helping me and
unselfishly serving others."
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 and sat at a table. A
waitress put a glass of water in front of
him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he
asked. "Fifty cents," replied the
waitress. The little boy pulled his hand
out of his pocket and studied 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 replied." 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 on the table and walked away. The boy
finished the ice cream, paid the cashier
and left. When the waitress came back, she
began to cry as she wiped down the table.
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 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. When 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 and 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 cheeks. 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. You see, after all,
understanding and attitude, are
everything.