1 ~ ALL ARE SIGNIFICANT
During my second month of nursing school,
our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a
conscientious student and he 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 ~ 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 taxicab. 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 ~ ALWAYS REMEMBER THOSE WHO SERVE YOU
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 ~ 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 ~ 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 died. 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, understanding and attitude, after
all, is everything.
[Thanks, Jane]
