Kaleidoscope

HOW WE TREAT PEOPLE


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 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 addressand 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 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
ee, 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 ourcondition.

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. Now you
have 2 choices.