"Roses For Rose"

<BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="35520583.gif" LINK="#33FFFF" ALINK="#9AC200" VLINK="#A6CAF0"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>   </div> <div>  <embed src="HTMLobj-863/Conway_Twitty_The_Rose.wav" autostart="true" loop="true" hidden="true">    <script language="JavaScript">  </script>  </div> <div> <B>"Roses For Rose"</B></div> <div> <B> <img src="HTMLobj-861/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="80" height="140">  </B></div> <div> The first day of school our professor introduced</div> <div>  himself and challenged</div> <div>  us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I</div> <div>  stood up to look around</div> <div>   when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned</div> <div>  around to find a</div> <div>   wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a</div> <div>  smile that lit up her</div> <div>  entire being.</div> <bR> <div>   She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm</div> <div>  eighty-seven years old. Can I</div> <div>   give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically</div> <div>  responded, "Of course you</div> <div>  may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze. "Why are you in</div> <div>  college at such a</div> <div>  young, innocent age?" I asked.</div> <bR> <div>   She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich</div> <div>  husband, get married, have  a</div> <div>  couple of children, and then retire and travel."</div> <bR> <div>   "No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have</div> <div>  motivated her to be</div> <div>  taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed</div> <div>  of having a college</div> <div>   education and now I'm getting one!" she told me.</div> <div>  After class we walked to</div> <div>  the student union building and shared a chocolate</div> <div>  milkshake. We became</div> <div>   instant friends. Every day for the next three months</div> <div>  we would leave class</div> <div>  together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized</div> <div>  listening to this "time</div> <div>   machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with</div> <div>  me.</div> <div>   Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus</div> <div>  icon and she easily</div> <div>  made</div> <div>   friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and</div> <div>  she reveled in the</div> <div>  attention bestowed upon her from the other students.</div> <div>  She was living it up.</div> <bR> <div>   At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak</div> <div>  at our football</div> <div>  banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was</div> <div>  introduced and</div> <div>   stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her</div> <div>  prepared speech,</div> <div>  she</div> <div>   dropped her three by five cards on the floor.</div> <div>   Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into</div> <div>  the microphone and</div> <div>  simply said "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer</div> <div>  for Lent and this</div> <div>  whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back</div> <div>  in order so let me</div> <div>  just tell you what I know."</div> <bR> <div>   As we laughed she cleared her throat and began: "We</div> <div>  do not stop playing</div> <div>  because we are old; we grow old because we stop</div> <div>  playing. There are only</div> <div>  four secrets to staying young, being happy, and</div> <div>  achieving success. "You</div> <div>  have to laugh and find humor every day. "You've got to</div> <div>  have a dream. When</div> <div>  you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people</div> <div>  walking around who</div> <div>  are dead and don't even know it!"</div> <bR> <bR> <div>   "There is a huge difference between growing older and</div> <div>  growing up. If you</div> <div>  are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full</div> <div>  year and don't do one</div> <div>  productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I</div> <div>  am eighty-seven</div> <div>  years old and stay in bed for a year and never do</div> <div>  anything I will turn</div> <div>  eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't</div> <div>  take any talent or</div> <div>   ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the</div> <div>  opportunity in</div> <div>  change."</div> <bR> <div>   "Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have</div> <div>  regrets for what we did,</div> <div>  but rather for things we did not do. The only people</div> <div>  who fear death are</div> <div>  those with regrets."</div> <bR> <div>   She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The</div> <div>  Rose." She</div> <div>   challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live</div> <div>  them out in our daily</div> <div>  lives.</div> <bR> <div>   At the years end Rose finished the college degree she</div> <div>  had begun all those</div> <div>  years ago. One week after graduation Rose died</div> <div>  peacefully in her sleep.</div> <div>   Over two thousand college students attended her</div> <div>  funeral in tribute to the</div> <div>  wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never</div> <div>  too late to be all</div> <div>  you can possibly be.</div> <bR> <div>   If you read this, please send this peaceful word of</div> <div>  advice to your</div> <div>  friends</div> <div>   and family, they'll really enjoy it! We send these</div> <div>  words in loving memory</div> <div>  of Rose.</div> <div>  <img src="HTMLobj-859/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="91" height="131">  </div> <bR> <bR> <div>   Remember:  Growing  old is manditory,</div> <div> Growing up is optional.....</div> <bR> <div>  <img src="HTMLobj-860/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="110" height="114">  </div> <bR> <div> click on banners</div> <div> <A HREF="http://go.MailBits.com/Tell.asp?118475.1" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://go.MailBits.com/Tell.asp?118475.1"><U><IMG SRC="654d43c0.gif" border=0 width="468" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://GO.MAILBITS.COM/TRIVIA.ASP?118475.1" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://GO.MAILBITS.COM/TRIVIA.ASP?118475"><U><IMG SRC="653e4100.gif" border=0 width="484" height="16" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="talltexian_s__index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TALLTEXIANS WEBSITE INDEX"><U><B><U>TALLTEXIAN'S WEBSITE INDEX</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="This Says It All"><U><B><U>Previous Page</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TALLTEXIANS SOUTHFORTY"><U><B><U>Home Page</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ghost Riders In The Sky"><U><B><U>Next Page</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id45_cf.htm" TITLE=" Roses For Rose"><U><B><U>Back to Top</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <div>  <script language="JavaScript">  </script>  </div> <div>  <HTML><FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE=4 PTSIZE=12 FACE="CAC Amaze Bold" LANG="0"><B><BR> <form method="post" action="http://www.listbot.com/cgi-bin/subscriber"><BR> <table border=0><tr><td colspan=2><BR> Join our mailing list!<BR> Enter your email address below,<BR> then click the 'Join List' button:<BR> </td></tr><tr><td><BR> <input type=text name="e_mail"><BR> <input type=hidden name="list_id" value="TALLTEXIANsSites"><BR> <input type=hidden name="Act" value="subscribe_list"><BR> </td><td><BR> <input type=image src="http://www.listbot.com/subscribe_button.gif" border=0 width=88 height=31 alt="Click here to join our mailing list!"><BR> </td></tr><tr><td colspan=2><BR> </FONT><FONT SIZE=1 PTSIZE=6 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="arial" LANG="0"><A HREF="http://www.listbot.com/">Powered by ListBot</A></FONT><FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE=3 PTSIZE=10><BR> </td></tr></table><BR> </form><BR> <BR> </B></HTML>  </div> <bR> <div>  <img src="HTMLobj-856/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="65" height="128">  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0099FF" FACE="Black Rose" ><B>Website By: <img src="HTMLobj-857/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="65" height="128">  </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>The  Colonel</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <HTML><FONT COLOR="#ff0080" SIZE=4 PTSIZE=12 FACE="CAC Krazy Legs Bold" LANG="0"><B><I><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=jSLMrPUEK48&offerid=7089&subid=0"><IMG alt="" border=0 src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=jSLMrPUEK48&bids=7089&gridnum=-1&catid=-1&subid=0"></a> </B></I></HTML>   </B><A HREF="http://aff.mailbits.com/info/earn.asp?118475 " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://aff.mailbits.com/info/earn.asp?11"><U><B><IMG SRC="655581f0.gif" border=0 width="88" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>   <HTML><FONT COLOR="#ff0080" SIZE=4 PTSIZE=12 FACE="CAC Krazy Legs Bold" LANG="0"><B><I><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=jSLMrPUEK48&subid=0"><IMG alt=icon border=0 width=468 height=60 src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=jSLMrPUEK48&gridnum=1&subid=0"></a></B></I></HTML>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Loki Cola" >  <SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://counter.mycomputer.com/get_counter.html?u=TALLTEXIAN1&c=16"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <a href="http://counter.mycomputer.com/"><img alt="Counter" src="http://counter.mycomputer.com/c.count?u=TALLTEXIAN1&c=16" border=0></a> </NOSCRIPT>   </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>.</B></div> </BODY>