Food for Thought!

Number One:

The Most Important Question 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. 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.

Number Two:

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 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 1960s.  The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance, and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry! 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 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 had 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."

Number Three:

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?" "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket  and studied a number of coins
in it. "How much is a dish of plain ice cream?", he inquired. Some people were now waiting for
a table and the waitress was  a bit
 impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she said brusquely. The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the
plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream right away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the  cashier, and departed. When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the  table and then swallowed hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies--her tip.

Number Four:

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 big stone out of the way.  Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.  On 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. As 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 others  never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's  condition.

Number Five: Giving Blood

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer  at Stanford 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 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 Liz." 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 boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood. Attitude, after all, is everything.
 

You have 2 options.
1)    Forward it to people you care about.
2)   Send this link to people you card about.

Something to think about!
1)  Work like you don't need the money.
2)  Love like you've never been hurt.
3)  Dance like nobody's watching.

Note from the author of this web page...
I don't know who Tracy is, but thank you!
This is the knid of thing that makes the Web go around!
 

Home Page

Back to ShortStories!

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at [email protected]

This page created with Netscape Navigator 4.7

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws