Rose

Ocassionally one will receive an email with such a great impact it is worth sharing with others. To me the following can only demonstrate how it is never truly too late to accomplish your goals in life, no matter your age...

My Name is 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 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, 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 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 opportunity in 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 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...
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'Good friends are like stars...... ....You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.'

Faith

Dear Friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

1 John 3:21-23

The Battle is Over!

The following is provided by courtesy of Naima & Friends Network and NWC Ministries and demonstrates how grand it is to always follow your faith and never give in to diversity. I hope you enjoy reading it and it uplifts you as it certainly has done for both Naima and myself.


The Battle is Over!

Insecurities:The Males Perspective

During our Premiere issue on Interracial Dating I wanted to submit an article which tackled the males point of view on insecurities. A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless shared his story with me and with his permission I was able to not only write about it, but publish it online as I already had a couple of articles added; and we wanted to ensure we gave every contributing writer a shot. Since this story is based on relationships and what can happen when you let past hurts interfere with your present relationships I wanted to also share it here with you, as originally it was intended for the "Recognize the Relationship Magazine" readership anyway.

I hope anyone who can relate will be more than willing to comment as this is a topic that is so widespread, especially when ones dealt with a cheating partner. The pain it leaves behind is strong, but there are ways to come up on top and never let the hurt deter you from seeking true love and commitment elsewhere. To read full article please follow the following link, and again share your thoughts. We look forward to your feedback.