OT - Five (5) lessons to make you think

[azoil]

A friend sent this too me, I thought it would be good to share.


1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, 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 50's, 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 11:3 0 p.m., an older African American
woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway
trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. 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 60s.. 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.



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 is 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 & 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 cheek. 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 but he had chosen to save her anyway.

[kimwcook]

Good, really good.

[gamekeeper]

Wow, That certainly makes you think! Great post.

[Rusty]

Azoil,
I've posted this here before but it seems relevant here again.

MY brother in law was raised around Erie, Pa. One winter day his dad looked out the kitchen window of their farmhouse and saw that a car had slid into a snowbank at the end of their driveway. Knowing someone would need help, he dressed and got the tractor and some chain. When he got to the car it was a lady and she was upset. She had gone to town to pick up some things for her husband and while she was there the snow had started. He got her pulled out alright and on the road again. Before she left she reached in the back seat and said thank you so much, take this as a token of my thanks and handed him a box. He tried to refuse but she insisted. when he got back to the house he opened the box. Inside was a brand new Savage 99 takedown. My brother in law still has the rifle and wouldn't part with it for all the tea in China. It seems that the lady's husband owned a sporting goods store and he had sent her to pick up stock for the store. she reached in and got the first box she laid her hands on just so she could give him something.

[azoil]

Azoil,
I've posted this here before but it seems relevant here again.

MY brother in law was raised around Erie, Pa. One winter day his dad looked out the kitchen window of their farmhouse and saw that a car had slid into a snowbank at the end of their driveway. Knowing someone would need help, he dressed and got the tractor and some chain. When he got to the car it was a lady and she was upset. She had gone to town to pick up some things for her husband and while she was there the snow had started. He got her pulled out alright and on the road again. Before she left she reached in the back seat and said thank you so much, take this as a token of my thanks and handed him a box. He tried to refuse but she insisted. when he got back to the house he opened the box. Inside was a brand new Savage 99 takedown. My brother in law still has the rifle and wouldn't part with it for all the tea in China. It seems that the lady's husband owned a sporting goods store and he had sent her to pick up stock for the store. she reached in and got the first box she laid her hands on just so she could give him something.

That's a great story!

[azoil]

OI just PM'ed me regarding point #2 that is apparently not true as described on snopes.com.

Sorry I didn't check that out first. However, even though it may be a fable, the lesson learned is still valuable.

Thanks again OI.

[Old Ironsights]

No sweat. It's a 'Classic' fable. Lake all good Parables, the Truth is in the Morals, not the Details.

Here are the details:

http://www.snopes.com/luck/trump.asp

In 1989 the variation of the moment of the unrecognized celebrity rescued by a Samaritan starred Mrs. Nat King Cole. Car troubles supposedly stranded her on the shoulder of a Los Angeles freeway, and she was said to have rewarded the kind man who stopped to render assistance with a new car (variously reported as a Cadillac, Lincoln, or Rolls-Royce.)

In 1997 a version of the Mrs. Nat King Cole legend tied to the death of her husband was circulating on the Internet. It appears to have been lifted word for word from the 1997 book Chicken Soup For the Woman's Soul:
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! However, she wrote down his address, thanked him, and drove away.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant combination console color TV and stereo record player were delivered to his home. A special note was attached. The note read:
"Dear Mr. James:

Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes but 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."

Though it's a lovely story, it too didn't happen. Nat King Cole died of lung cancer at dawn on 15 February 1965 in Santa Monica, California. He was hospitalized in December 1964, and on 25 January 1965 his left lung was removed. At least from the date of his operation until his death, Maria Cole was with him every day. There was no opportunity for her to have been stranded in the rain beside an Alabama highway in the weeks leading up to her husband's death. She was sitting with him when he passed away, and none of the newspapers that commented on her vigil made mention of a last-minute dash to the hospital, an automotive breakdown, or a helpful Samaritan who got her there in time.

[Blaine]

Exactly....Aseops fables were not true, either, but taught great lessons.........

[Ysabel Kid]

Exactly....Aseops fables were not true, either, but taught great lessons.........

+1

[Travis Morgan]

OI just PM'ed me regarding point #2 that is apparently not true as described on snopes.com.

Sorry I didn't check that out first. However, even though it may be a fable, the lesson learned is still valuable.

Thanks again OI.

Dammit! Why the HELL can't people just enjoy a story, anymore? It's like the bible. I don't really care if you believe it or not. Just try to take some lessons from it.

[Old Ironsights]

OI just PM'ed me regarding point #2 that is apparently not true as described on snopes.com.

Sorry I didn't check that out first. However, even though it may be a fable, the lesson learned is still valuable.

Thanks again OI.

Dammit! Why the HELL can't people just enjoy a story, anymore? It's like the bible. I don't really care if you believe it or not. Just try to take some lessons from it.

It's not that I didn't enjoy it Travis, it's just that the story used the names of Real People. I wouldn't have cared if there was a "generic parable" way of saying it, but to use the names of Real People in a demonstrably false manner is no better than what the MSM does on a daily basis.

I think Parables deserve to be better than MSM reporting.

[azoil]

Guys,
I took no offense to the heads up.

[mac45]

OI just PM'ed me regarding point #2 that is apparently not true as described on snopes.com.

Sorry I didn't check that out first. However, even though it may be a fable, the lesson learned is still valuable.

Thanks again OI.

Dammit! Why the HELL can't people just enjoy a story, anymore? It's like the bible. I don't really care if you believe it or not. Just try to take some lessons from it.

Sounds like someone needs to switch to decaf