First Important Lesson ~ Most Important Lesson

During my second month of nursing school, our 
professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a
conscientious student and had 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.

Second Important Lesson~ Pick up 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.

Third Important Lesson ~ 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 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.

Fourth Important Lesson ~ 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.

Fifth Important Lesson ~ 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
faded. 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.

The music you are listening to was Composed, Arranged and Played by Yuko Ohigashi and is copyrighted. Please visit her web site for more beautiful music. The song is called "Too Near Yet So Far."