I love Email...

A friend of mine sent this to me. I just wanted to pass it on. I thought you might like this. Give me your opinions.

Peace unto thy hearts.

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 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 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, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."

"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 the 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 years 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.

~If you read this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it! We send these words in loving memory of ROSE

Remember, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

Deb Carr

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."-anonymous

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget." - anonymous

Now...

in light of that... I would like to know, from each of you, what is it you want? What do you really want in your life?

it's easy to sit and whine about how your needs are never met. BUT, have you ever concidered the option that if YOU don't know what you want, you will never know when you get it?

If you haven't identified what you want, no one can help you attain it. If you haven't identified what you want, you haven't committed yourself to it. If you haven't committed yourself... you won't get it.

Dunno if any of this makes sense to you all... but I've been thinking along these lines.

Most likely, I'll post again tomorrow with this same thought pattern... about committments and such. We all need to know where we want to go, or we'll just stagnate.

*smiles softly*

Good night, friends.

Peace unto thy hearts.

PS... Affemann made a new post... check it out... Rev. BoB. My addiction.