Five lessons about the way we treat people

[Guest guest]

(from Rick's email subscription)

 

Five lessons about the way we treat people

 

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 11:30 p.m.., 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 1960's. 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 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 & 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.