<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10>In a message dated 3/8/05 4:06:08 PM Central Standard Time, Ldyinnes@aol.com writes:
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<BR><BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Five (5) lessons to make us think about the way we
<BR>>> treat people.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> 1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> During my second month of college, our professor gave
<BR>>> us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had
<BR>>> breezed through the questions until I read the last
<BR>>> one:
<BR>>>
<BR>>> "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the
<BR>>> school?"
<BR>>> Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the
<BR>>> cleaning woman several times. She was tall,
<BR>>> dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her
<BR>>> name?
<BR>>>
<BR>>> I handed in my paper, leaving the last question
<BR>>> blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if
<BR>>> the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers,
<BR>>> you will meet many people. All are significant. They
<BR>>> deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is
<BR>>> smile and say "hello."
<BR>>>
<BR>>> I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
<BR>>> name was Dorothy.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> 2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
<BR>>>
<BR>>> One night, a t11:30 p.m., an older African American
<BR>>> woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway
<BR>>> trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had
<BR>>> broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking
<BR>>> wet, she decided to flag down the next car.
<BR>>> A young white man stopped to help her, generally
<BR>>> unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man
<BR>>> took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put
<BR>>> her into a taxicab.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> She seemed t o be in a big hurry, but wrote down his
<BR>>> address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a
<BR>>> knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant
<BR>>> console color TV was delivered to his home. A special
<BR>>> note was attached..
<BR>>>
<BR>>> It read:
<BR>>> "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway
<BR>>> the other night. The rain drenched not only my
<BR>>> clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
<BR>>> Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying
<BR>>> husband's bedside just before he passed away... God
<BR>>> bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving
<BR>>> others.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> 3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those
<BR>>> who serve.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,
<BR>>> a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat
<BR>>> at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front
<BR>>> of him.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and
<BR>>> studied the coins in it.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he
<BR>>> inquired.
<BR>>> By now more people were waiting for a table and the
<BR>>> waitress was growing impatient.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> The little boy again counted his coins.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> "I'll have t he plain ice cream," he said.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
<BR>>> the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
<BR>>> cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress
<BR>>> came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the
<BR>>> table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
<BR>>> were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he
<BR>>> couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have
<BR>>> enough left to leave her a tip.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> 4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our
<BR>>> Path.
<BR>>> In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a
<BR>>> roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if
<BR>>> anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's
<BR>>> wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply
<BR>>> walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not
<BR>>> keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about
<BR>>> getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came
<BR>>> along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching
<BR>>> the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and
<BR>>> tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After
<BR>>> much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.
<BR>>> After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he
<BR>>> noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder
<BR>>> had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a
<BR>>> note from the King indicating that the gold was for
<BR>>> the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
<BR>>> The peasant learned what many of us never understand!
<BR>>> Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our
<BR>>> condition.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> 5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
<BR>>> Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a
<BR>>> hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who
<BR>>> was suffering from a rare disease. Her only chance of
<BR>>> recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her
<BR>>> 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the
<BR>>> same disease and had developed the antibodies needed
<BR>>> to combat the illness. The doctor explained the
<BR>>> situation to her little brother, and asked the little
<BR>>> boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his
<BR>>> sister.
<BR>>>
<BR>>> I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a
<BR>>> deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will
<BR>>> save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in
<BR>>> bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all
<BR>>> did,seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his
<BR>>> face grew pale and his smile faded.
<BR>>> He looked up at the doctor and asked with a
<BR>>> trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".
<BR>>>
<BR>>> Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the
<BR>>> doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his
<BR>>> sister all of his blood in order to save her.
<BR>>>
<BR>>>
<BR>>> Most importantly.................. "Work like you
<BR>>> don't need the money, love like you've never been
<BR>>> hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."
<BR>>>
<BR>>> NOW more than ever - Peace...Pass It On.....Pay It
<BR>>> Forward
<BR>>>
<BR>>>
<BR></BLOCKQUOTE>
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