{"id":1884,"date":"2012-11-21T08:04:44","date_gmt":"2012-11-21T16:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theeduca.mywhc.ca\/?p=1288"},"modified":"2012-11-21T08:04:44","modified_gmt":"2012-11-21T16:04:44","slug":"hi-my-name-is-rose-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ashlarcollege.ca\/ashlar-archived\/hi-my-name-is-rose-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Hi. My Name is Rose !!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi.\u00a0 My Name is Rose<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On 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.
\nI turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being..
\nShe said, ‘Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?’
\nI laughed and enthusiastically responded, ‘Of course you may!’ and she gave me a giant squeeze..
\n‘Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?’ I asked.
\nShe jokingly replied, ‘I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…’
\n‘No seriously,’ I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
\n‘I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!’ she told me. \u00a0After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
\nWe 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’<\/strong> as she shared her wisdom and experience with me..
\nOver 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 revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.\u00a0 At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.<\/p>\n

“I’ll never forget what she taught us<\/strong>“.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.\u00a0 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,<\/p>\n

“I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me!”\u00a0 <\/strong>I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.’\u00a0 As we laughed she cleared her throat and began,<\/p>\n

“We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.<\/span>
\n<\/em>
\nWe have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!
\nThere is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
\nIf 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.<\/p>\n

If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
\nAnybody! Can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability.<\/p>\n

The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
\nThe 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..’<\/p>\n

She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose.’
\n<\/strong>
\nShe challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.<\/p>\n

At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL<\/strong><\/span>.<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.<\/p>\n

Remember ‘Good friends are like stars….. …..<\/span><\/p>\n

You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there.’<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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