This is true love

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly

gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat,

knowing it would be over an hour before someone 

would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the

doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of
his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to 

the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. 

He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we 

talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. 

He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in  five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?' 

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.' 

Life lesson--things are not always as they seem

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. 

When 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 quite understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition. You never know how it will affect your life until you conquer it.

Life lesson--everybody is important

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 50's, 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. 

From an email that's made the rounds several times.