The
1st
day
of
school
our
professor
introduced
himself
&
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
around
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
87
yrs
old.
can
I
give
you
a
hug?"
I
laughed
&
enthusiastically
responded,
"of
course
you
may!"
& 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,
&
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 & now
I'm getting one!"
she told me. after class, we walked to the student union building & shared a chocolate milkshake. we became instant friends. every day for the next 3 months, we would leave class together & talk nonstop.
I was always mesmerized
listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom & experience
with me.
Over
the
course
of
the
year,
rose
became
a
campus
icon
&
she
easily
made
friends
wherever
she
went.
She
loved
to
dress
up
&
she
reveled
in
the
attention
b
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 &
stepped up to the podium. as she began to deliver her prepared speech,
she dropped her 3x5 cards on the floor. frustrated & a little
embarrassed, she leaned into the microphone & simply said, "I'm sorry
I'm
so jittery.
I gave up beer for lent & 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
&
began,
"we
do
not
stop
playing because
we
are
old,
we
grow
old
because
we
stop
playing.
there
are
only
4
secrets
to
staying
young,
being
happy
&
achieving
success.
you
have
to
laugh
&
find
humor
everyday.
you've
got
to
have
a
dream.
When
you
lose
your
dreams,
you
die.
we
have
so
many
people
walking
around
who
are
dead &
don't
even
know
it!
there
is
a
huge
difference
between
growing
older
&
growing
up.
if
you
are
19
yrs
old
&
lie
in
bed
for
1
full
year
&
don't
do
one
productive
thing,
you
will
turn
20
yrs
old.
if
I
am
87
yrs
old
&
stay
in
bed
for
a
year
&
never
do
anything,
I
will
turn
88.
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 & live them out in our daily
lives. At the year's end,
Rose finished the college degree she had begun all
those yrs ago.
1
week
after
graduation,
rose
died
peacefully
in
her
sleep.
over
2,000
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
&
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!
