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.
~ 2 ~ 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 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 1960s. The
man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab.
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 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
~ 3 ~ 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 ofwater 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, put the bill on the table and walked
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.
~ 4 ~ 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 setting. 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.
~ 5 ~ 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.
