The Story of Rose.

Post 459 ~ ~ ~ Sunday, 1 st June, 2008



My daughter, Kathy and her daughter Kate.


My granddaughter Kate who is off to France.


Hello Everyone ~~ The weekend is over here and has been
very pleasant weather-wise and I have had a few callers.
I hope it has been good for all of you as well.

We have a few birthdays again folks ~ ~ ~ for 1 st June :
Dear Audrey is one, Lady Di's husband Prince another
and Pea 's dear friend Steve. Happy birthday to all of
them. I Hope all three have a wonderful birthday and
have a great time on their special days.

Now for a little bragging on my part. My 20 year old
granddaughter has won a trip to France to work in a French
restaurant for 4 weeks. She is doing a course in Geelong
at a lovely classy restaurant called "Pettavel."

There are three going over together, another girl and a boy.
They had to cook a complete meal and tell the judges how
they did it etc etc. She is Kathy's eldest daughter and we are
so thrilled for her. She hopes to stay on for a further 2 weeks
and go to visit her other Grandmother and many relatives
in Holland. My son-in-law came from there. Kate has been
over there twice and knows them, but she was a lot younger.

Now to post a lovely story sent to me by my sister-in-law
Jacqui who sometimes blogs as Bears Galore. Thanks Jacqui.

The Story of Rose.

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 around 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
tears 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 a 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 wll 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 to change.
Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what they 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.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of
advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it.
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. If God brings
you to it, He will bring you through it.

If you pass this on, you will receive a miracle tomorrow (if you
don't think so . . . look out your window when you wake in the
morning and think about it.)

Good friends are like stars . . . . . . You don't always see them
but you know they are always there.
<><>

40 Detroiters. (Apologies to anyone from Detroit.)

St. Peter was manning the Pearly Gates when forty people
from Detroit showed up. Never having seen anyone from
Detroit at heaven's door, Saint Peter said he would have to
check with God.

After hearing the news, God instructed him to admit the
ten most virtuous people from the group.

A few minutes later, St. Peter returned to God and said,
"They're gone."
"What,? All the Detroiters are gone," answered God.

"No,: replied St.Peter, "The Pearly Gates."
<><>
A joke from Lorraine.

Paddy's pregnant sister was in a terrible car accident
and went into a deep coma. After being in the coma for
nearly six months, she wakes up and sees she is no longer
pregnant.

Frantically, she asks the doctor about her baby. The
doctor replies, Ma'am, you had twins . . . A boy and a girl.
The babies are fine, but at birth they were poorly and had
to be christened immediately. Your brother Paddy came
in and named them."

The woman thinks too herself, " Oh no, not my brother,
he's a clueless idiot. . ."
Expecting the worst, she asks the doctor, "Well, what;s my
daughter's name?"

"Denise," says the doctor. The new mother is somewhat
relieved. "Wow, that's a beautiful name. I guess I was
wrong about my brother," she thought, I like Denise."
Then she asks, "What's the boy's name?"
The doctor replies, "Denephew."
<><>

One from Patty Thank you Patty.

An old lady was standing at the rail of the cruise ship
holding her hat so the wind wouldn't blow it away in
the wind.

A gentleman approached her and said, "Pardon me,
madam. I do not intend to be forward, but did you know
that your dress is blowing in the wind?"

"Yes, I know," said the lady. But I need my hands to
hold on to my hat.
"But, madam," he said, you must know that your
derriere is exposed."

The woman looked down, then back at the man and said,
"Sir, anything you see down there is 85 years old, but
I just bought this hat."
<><>

Some questions you just can't answer. Thank you Gwen.

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we
know the batteries are flat?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when
they know there is not enough?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are
four billion stars, but check when you say paint is wet?

What is the speed of darkness?

Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when
babies wake up every two hours?

If the temperature is zero outside today and it's going to
be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be ?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put
money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

How is it we put man on the moon before we figured out
it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come
from morons?

Does pushing an elevator button more than once make
it arrive faster?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made
from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?

Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?
<><>

Anytime you see a young man open a car door for his
girlfriend, either the car is new or the girlfriend is.
~ ~ ~ Robert E. Limbaugh II.
<><>

A young man was trying to park his car between two
others. He put it in reverse, and bang--- right into
the car behind him. He then went forward and bang
--right into the car in front.

A young woman watching the manoeuvre couldn't
contain herself. "Do you always park by ear?" she asked.

~ ~ ~ Venderchi Martins Valente..
<><>

"Was Grandpa mad hen they went through his luggage
at the border?"

"Not in the least. They found his glasses that he lost
two weeks ago."
<><>

Sign in a shopping centre. "Please feed the bins, the
floors are on a diet."
<><>

Son to his father as they watch television, "Dad, tell me
again how when you were a kid you had to walk all the
way across the room to change the channel."
<><>

Husband to wife: "You're always nagging me about my golf.
It's driving me mad."
Wife : "It wouldn't be a drive -- just a short putt."
~ ~ ~ Harry Leech.
<><>

Just a few sayings ~~ to finish with :

Manana (tomorrow) is often the busiest day of the week.
~ ~ ~ Spanish.

Money buys everything but good sense. ~ ~ Yiddish.

Necessity is the mother of invention.~~ Irish proverb.

Music has charms to soothe a savage beast.
~ ~ ~ William Congreve.

Never trouble trouble 'til trouble troubles you. ~~Anon.

No-one is good at everything, but everyone is good at
something. ~ ~ ~ Unknown.
<><>

Enough for this post. Stay well and happy my friends
and enjoy your lives. Be kind to one another and give
some smiles away to those who need them.
Love and Best Wishes to you all. Cheers, Merle.

Post 459 ~ ~ ~ Sunday, 1st June, 2008.
<><><>