*Older......**

[Guest guest]

*Older......**

 

**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

round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming 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.

 

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.*

 

* " Good friends are like stars....... ..You don't always see them, but

you know they are always there *