Remmick-Hubert Special Page - Lodi Union High School, Class of 1960-Newsletter
Vol. 8: 17 July 2002: Page Seven
The following artilces are the opinons of the authors and does not give the opinon of other in the Class of 1960.
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 kids..." "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 mesmerised 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 revelled 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 humour 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 year's 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.
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
In a message dated 5/1/02 12:26:29 PM, mikejohns@antelecom.net writes:
<< "Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox where there is hatred." - Proverbs (15:17)
"Better dry bread and peacefulness with it than a house full of meals eaten in strife." - (ibid 17:1)
Our culture has become so money oriented that we judge good or bad, happiness or misery, by material wealth. We even judge people by how much they own. You have heard it said, "He is worth millions." That person may have millions of dollars, but that says nothing about how much he is worth.
Most people would like to be wealthy. The acquisitive drive appears to be innate. So is the desire for food. Great wealth is no more a sign of happiness than obesity is a sign of good health.
While it may appear absurd to glorify poverty, the fact is that people who survive on a subsistence level have little concern whether the stock market rises or falls. Simple meals can satisfy one's hunger just as can delicacies.
People of meager belongings do not lose sleep because of the anxiety of a possible income tax audit. The children of those of modest means do not have bitter arguments about getting what they think is their share of the family's wealth. Children of the affluent may develop bitter hatred for one another because they feel that other siblings took more than they had coming.
The above verse was written by Solomon. He grew up in a royal home where there was strife over succession to the throne. Two of King David's sons were killed because of their aspiration to the throne.
Peacefulness can make dry bread much tasty than strife-ridden delicacies.
>>
THE PARTNER WHO HOGS THE COVERS EVERY NIGHT,
BECAUSE HE IS NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.
THE CHILD WHO IS NOT CLEANING HIS ROOM, BUT IS WATCHING TV,
BECAUSE THAT MEANS HE IS AT HOME AND NOT ON THE STREETS.
FOR THE TAXES THAT I PAY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I AM EMPLOYED.
FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.
FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.
FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM IN THE SUNSHINE.
FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.
FOR ALL THE COMPLAINTS I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT,
BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND THAT I HAVE BEEN
BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.
FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.
FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH THAT SINGS OFF KEY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I CAN HEAR.
FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.
FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.
FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS,
BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT I AM ALIVE.
AND FINALLY.......
FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.
(SEND THIS TO SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT,
AND WHEN YOU THINK YOUR LIFE IS SO BAD,
READ THIS AGAIN.)
I'm thankful for another perspective. I am also thankful for you!
<< TOP TEN SIGNS YOU'VE GONE TO A BAD TAX SERVICE
By Dave Tippett
10. They ask if you want fries with that refund.
9. IRS auditors have their own parking spot.
8. Overhear preparer muttering to himself, "What would Bono do?"
7. Corporate motto: "Never Convicted!"
6. Preparer calculating return by stamping out numbers with his foot.
5. In parking lot, IRS agent comes up and asks if you wouldn't mind
wearing a wire.
4. Notice they are doing your return on an Etch-A-Sketch.
3. When guy's done with your return, shakes a bag of chicken bones at it
to dispel evil spirits.
2. They can replace your muffler at the same time.
1. They have a frequent guest punch card from the folks at "Sixty Minutes."
>>
