# 5 important lessons



## Flatlander

Please note that the usages of "I" and "me" do not refer to me, actually.  This is an email that I just received, and wanted to share with all of my friends here at Martial Talk.

-Dan


*Five Lessons

*Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

*1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady*.

During my second month of college, 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.

*2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

*One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. 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 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

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 & 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 cheek. 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.

:asian:


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## Kacey

Thanks - I've seen most of these before, but never all together, and always worth rereading and passing on.

Here's one to add to it:

At a fund-raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question. "Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as the children do.  Where is God's plan reflected in my son?" The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued.

"I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the plan presents itself. And it comes in the way people treat that child." Then, he told the following story:

Shay and I walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, "Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that most boys would not want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play.

The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat.

Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game.

Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first. Run to first."

Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second! By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home.

As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay! Run home!"

Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero, for hitting a "grand slam" and winning the game for the team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of normality into Shay's life."


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## Ceicei

Thank you.  All the stories here brought me to tears.

- Ceicei


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## Bob Hubbard

In a world where we too often find reasons to hate, we need some light to shine through the darkness. I've stickied this, in the hopes that it will brighten the spirits of those in need.


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## Cujo

.:asian:


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## terryl965

Thank you for reminding us how important the little things are in life.
Terry


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## stone_dragone

This needed to be brought to the top again.:asian:


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## MRE

I have read this thread many times over the past months, before I joined MT.  Now that I have joined and can post, I would like to thank you for sharing these stories.  I read them to my sons sometimes before they go to sleep.


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## matt.m

Those were really nice stories.  I feel that if someone reads these and feels nothing then sadly they never will.:asian:

Truly a great read.


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## kenpo0324

Thank you for reminding us how important the little things are in life.  :asian:


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## Brian R. VanCise

That was a very nice post!

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com


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## J-Man

Thank you for posting this. :asian:


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## pirate wyatt

thats inspirational


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## John Brewer

Thanks for reminding me that you never know how your actions might affect someone else.


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## metaldad

Wow, totally cool and inspirational!These shall be bookmarked and referenced frequently!!!


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## bydand

Great lessons.


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