Five 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 1960s.

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

ouldn't have the sundae, because he had to have

enough left to leave her a tip

4. Fourth Important Lesson - The Obstacles

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 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.