Lessons 1-5

Lesson 1
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.
Just 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.

Lesson 2 - Second Important Lesson - 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, but wrote down his address
and thanked him.
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 also
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 - Third Important Lesson - 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?" he asked. "Fifty cents,"
replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?"
he inquired.
By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was
growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied."
The little boy again counted his 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 left. When
the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table.
There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five
pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have
enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson - 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 stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon
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. After
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 of us never understand - Every obstacle presents an
opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a 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 little 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 her."
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 little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he
thought he
was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to
save her. You see, after all, understanding and attitude, are
everything.

"Work like you don't need the money, love like it's not going to
hurt,
and dance like nobody's watching."
Do something nice just because. Have a great day!!
Steven J Cortese

IF YOU KNOW WHO WROTE THIS
PLEASE LET ME KNOW
SO I CAN GIVE THAT PERSON HIS OR HER DUE
AND
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP ;-)

Contact information
Mark James
phone 516-835-9996
my email is dannsirs@yahoo.com