First 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.

Second 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."

Third 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 is
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.

Fourth 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.

Fifth 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.

"Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."

http://wondor.blogspot.com/2007/08/5-inspirational-lessons.html