1 - 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.

 2 - Second Important Lesson - Pickup 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 taxi cab. 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. 

 3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those  who serve 

 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 neatly 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. 

 4 - 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. 

 5 - 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. You see,  after all, understanding and attitude, are everything. 

 "Work like you don't need the money,  love like you've never been hurt and dance like you do  when nobody's watching.

 Cecelia Donelson SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL  of Anchorage, NWR, SIA 

A Christmas Story that will touch your heart.

 I hurried into the local department store to grab some last minute Christmas gifts. I looked at all the people and grumbled to myself. I would be in here forever and I
just had so much to do. Christmas was beginning to become such a  drag. I kinda wished that I could just sleep through Christmas. But I  hurried the best I could through all the people to the toy department. Once again I kind of mumbled to myself at the prices of all these toys, and wondered if the grandkids would even play with them. I found  myself in the doll aisle. Out of the  corner of my eye I saw a little  boy about 5 holding a lovely doll.  He kept touching her hair and he held her so gently. I could not
seem to help myself. I just kept  looking over at the little boy and wondered who the doll was for. I watched  him turn to a woman and he called  his aunt by name and said, "Are  you sure I don't have enough  money".  She replied a bit impatiently, "You know that you don't have enough  money for it." The aunt told the  little boy not to go anywhere,  that she had to go get some other things  and would be back in a few minutes.  And then she left the aisle.

 The boy continued to hold the doll. After a bit I asked the boy who  the doll was for. He said, "It is  the doll my sister wanted so  badly for Christmas. She just  knew that Santa would bring it." I  told him that maybe Santa was going to  bring it. He said "No, Santa can't go  where my sister is...I have to give the doll to my Mamma to take to  her". I asked him where his sister  was. He looked at me with the  saddest eyes and said "She has gone to be with Jesus". My Daddy says  that Mama is going to have to go
 be with her. My heart nearly  stopped beating. Then the boy  looked at me again and said, I told  my Daddy to tell Mama not to go yet. I told  him to tell her to wait till I got back from the store". Then he  asked me if I wanted to see his  picture. I told him I would love to. He pulled out some pictures  he'd had taken at the front of the store. He said  "I want my Mamma to take this  with her so she don't ever forget me."  "I love my Mama so very much and  I wish she did not have to leave  me". "But Daddy says she will need to be with my sister." I saw that the  little boy had lowered his head and
 had grown so very quiet.
 
 While he was not looking I reached into my purse and pulled out a  handful of bills. I asked the  little boy, "Shall we count that money  one more time? He grew excited  and said "Yes, I just know it has to  be enough". So I slipped my money  in with his and we began to count  it. Of course it was plenty for  the doll. He softly said, "Thank  you Jesus for giving me enough money."  Then the boy said "I just asked  Jesus to give me enough money to buy  this doll so Mama can take it with  her to give to my sister." "And he  heard my prayer. "I wanted to ask him for enough to buy my Mama a white  rose, but I didn't ask him, but he  gave me enough to buy the doll and  a rose for my Mama." "She loves  white roses so very, very much". 

In a few minutes the aunt came  back and I wheeled my cart away. I could not keep from thinking about  the little boy as I finished my  shopping in a totally different spirit than  when I had started. And I kept  remembering a story I had seen in the newspaper  several days earlier about a drunk  driver hitting a car and killing a little  girl and the Mother was in serious  condition.  The family was deciding on whether  to remove the life support. Now  surely this little boy did not belong  with that story.

 Two days later I read in the paper  where the family had disconnected  the life support and the young  woman had died. I could not forget  the little boy and just kept  wondering if the two were somehow  connected. Later that day, I  could not help myself and I went out  and bought some white roses and took them to  the funeral home where the young  woman was. And there she was holding a  lovely white rose, the beautiful  doll, and the picture of the little boy in the  store. I left there in tears, my   life changed forever.  The love that little boy had for  his little sister and his mother  was overwhelming.

 And in a split second a drunk  driver had ripped the life of that  little boy to pieces.

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

"Many people will walk in and out or your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches
 for the next day's lunches, rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box  levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning. 

She then put some wet  clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the wash, ironed a shirt  and secured a loose button. 

She picked up the game pieces left on the  table and put the telephone book back into the drawer. She watered the   plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

 She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the  desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field
 trip, and pulled a textbook out from hiding under the chair. 

She signed a  birthday card for a friend,addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a  quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse. 

Mom then
creamed her face, put on moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and  trimmed her nails. Hubby called, "I thought you were going to bed."  "I'm  on my way," she said. 

She put some water into the dog's dish and put
the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked. 

She looked in on  each of the kids and turned out a bedside lamp, hung up a shirt, threw some  dirty socks in the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up  still doing homework.

 In her own room, she set the alarm,laid out clothing
for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to  her list of things to do for tomorrow.

 About that time, the hubby turned off the TV and announced to no one in  particular, "I'm going to bed." And he did. Anything extraordinary  here?

Money doesn't  bring you happiness,
but it enables you to look for it in more places 

 Your conscience may not keep you from doing wrong,
 but it sure keeps you from enjoying it.
 
 Middle age is when broadness of the mind
 and narrowness of the waist change places.