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's the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

     Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning lady several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how whould 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 whould be 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.

 

 

 

     One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway tring 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 days, conflict filled 1960s. The man took her to saftey and 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 colour 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 husbands bedside just before he passed away....God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others," Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

 

 

 

     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 infront of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

     "Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

     "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 havee the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put it on 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.

 

        

 

     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 succeded. After the peasant picked up his vegtables, he noticed a purse lying on 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 a opportunity to improve your condition.

 

 

 

     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 five-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies nedded 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 will do it if it will save her." As the transplant progresses, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the colour return to her ceeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked in a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?"

     Being so young, the little boy misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all his blood in order to save her.