Jean Burman

This wonderful story (anonymously penned) comes from one of my favourite websites www.actsofkindness.org I wanted to share it with you. I don’t know Rose… but I have known others like her. My only hope is that one day I may have the courage to follow in such gigantic footsteps. To live our life to it’s fullest potential for as long as we have it… would seem to me to be the greatest gift we can give to the world. So… if you like… grab a cup of coffee now and join me here in celebration of a life that has been truly “lived”…

THE STORY OF ROSE - Anonymous

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 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, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel”

“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 mesmermised 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 revelled 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.”

photo source: www. flickr.com

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 humour 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 the opportunity to 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 years 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.

If you read this… please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family. We offer these words in loving memory of Rose.

“Orchids” - painted for my mother on the occasion of her 80th birthday

This gift of love comes from the heart… it’s beauty will never fade…their fragrance hangs on the gentle wind.. and the memory of them shall last forever…

watercolour on 640gsm Arches

artwork & content Copyright Jean Burman 2007

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 5th, 2007 at 10:47 am and is filed under That's Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.