Stories of Kindness from Around the World

87 Year Old Woman Named Rose


--by Monsieur, posted Apr 10, 2010
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.

I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

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, and 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 mesmerized 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 reveled 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 humor 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 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.
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Readers Comments

Jeniffer wrote: What a touching story!! We can all learn something very valuable from Rose. What an amazing woman! Thank you so much for sharing that story!!
lovebug wrote: I do pray to die peacefully in my sleep, I do dream and my dream is to be just like Rose, live, breath in life. It really is not hard to do, if you don't care about what others might say.
Ranger 2 wrote: Wow what an inspiration Rose is to all of us. May we all take a bit of Rose with us everyday. Thanks Rose may you rest in peace after achieving your dream.
optimist wrote: An amazing story about an amazing woman... More people need to take a lesson from her.
writingmomma wrote: Thanks for sharing. Rose is the type of woman I want to be. I want to wear out rather than rust out.
Hope4lisa wrote: How absolutely inspiring! I wonder if she was an angel....
Almost makes me wonder if I really CAN fulfill my dream of learning to play the cello- at this ripe, old age of 49.....
Thank you for the wonderful story.
sweena wrote: hae thats a touching story....i love to be like rose

jonny wrote: Wow a gr8 truth i've never come across..
busi bee wrote: AN ENCOURAGING STORY I GOT IT WHEN I NEEDED IT MOST THANKS ROSE
Gandalf wrote: It's been said that a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. May Rose's candle burn in eternity and shine light on the path for the blind to see what life can be.

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