We hope these stories will help you if you are feeling low and want to be cheered up. Alternatively, reading them will help you if you are
seeking a source of inspiration to overcome a problem.
- My Name is Rose
- The Whale – A Beautiful and Inspirational Tale
- The Eyes of Love
- Inspirational Short Story – Cody’s Attitude is Everything
- George – Another of Our Inspirational Short Stories
My Name is Rose
The Difference Between Growing Old and Growing Up
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged
us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around
when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with
a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, ‘Hi handsome. My name is
Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?’
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, ‘Of course you may!’ and she
gave me a giant squeeze. ‘Why are you in college at such a young, innocent
age?’ I asked.
She jokingly replied, ‘I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and
have a couple of kids…’
‘No seriously,’ I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be
taking on this challenge at her age.
‘I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!’
she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a
chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three
months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always
mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and
experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily
made friends wherever she went… She loved to dress up and she revelled in
the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it
up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football
banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and
stepped up to the podium.
As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by
five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into
the microphone and simply said, ‘I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer
for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in
order so let me just tell you what I know.’
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ‘ We do not stop playing
because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four
secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to
laugh and find humour every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose
your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know
it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you
are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one
productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years
old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn
eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or
ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.
Have no regrets. The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but
rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those
with regrets.’
She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose **.’
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our
daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had
begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in
her sleep…..
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the
wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you
can possibly be.
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY, GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give…..
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it,
He will bring you through it.
The Rose **
Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed.
Some say love, it is a razor
that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say love, it is a hunger,
an endless aching need.
I say love, it is a flower,
and you it’s only seed.
It’s the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance.
It’s the dream afraid of waking
that never takes the chance.
It’s the one who won’t be taken,
who cannot seem to give,
and the soul afraid of dyin’
that never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely
and the road has been to long,
and you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong,
just remember in the winter
far beneath the winter snows
lies the seed that with the sun’s love
in the spring becomes the rose.
*”The Rose” is song written by Amanda McBroom and made famous by Bette Midler and others.
The Whale – A Beautiful and Inspirational Tale
Will and guy have been sent this report by two of our regular contributors to the site – Maggie Nutt and John Reeves. We are grateful for
their additions.
A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of crab
traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that
caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards
of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in
her mouth.
A fisherman spotted her just east of the Faralon Islands [off the coast
of San Francisco, California, USA] and radioed for help. Within a few hours,
the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so badly off, the only
way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. A very dangerous
proposition as one slap of the tail could kill a prospective rescuer.
They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.
When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous
circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, nudged
them, and pushed gently, thanking them. Some said it was the most
incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.
The man who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him
the whole time, and he will never be the same.
May you and all those you love, be so fortunate as to be surrounded by
people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you
and may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.
The Eyes of Love
A grandmother and a little girl whose face was sprinkled with bright
red freckles spent the day at the zoo. The children were waiting in
line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating
them with tiger paws.
‘You’ve got so many freckles, there’s no place
to paint!’ a boy in the line cried.
Embarrassed, the little girl dropped her head. Her grandmother knelt
down next to her. ‘I love your freckles,’ she said.
‘Not me,’ the girl replied.
‘Well, when I was a little girl I always wanted
freckles,’ she said, tracing her finger across the child’s cheek.
‘Freckles are beautiful!’
The girl looked up. ‘Really?’
‘Of course,’ said the grandmother. ‘Why, just name me one thing
that’s prettier than freckles.’
The little girl peered into the old
woman’s smiling face. ‘Wrinkles,’ she answered softly.
See our inspirational 6 blind mice elephant story.
Inspirational Short Story – Cody’s Attitude is Everything
What’s your excuse? Your attitude towards life defines not only who you are, but the quality of life you are after.
Hi! I just wanted to say that I am this little boy’s mom! His name is
Cody McCasland and he will be 8 years old next month. We have just gotten
news of this post and email that is being spread around and are very
touched. If you would like to learn
more about Cody, please visit his website. Thanks!
Whatever it is that has been bugging you, doesn’t seem so bad anymore, does it?
If only we all could have the spirit that this little boy has. And look at his beautiful smile.
George – Another of Our Inspirational Short Stories
It was a normal, busy morning, about 8:30 when, George, an elderly
gentleman, well into his 80’s, arrived at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham,
England, to have stitches removed from his thumb.
George told me that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:15
am. I weighed him and took his blood pressure and invited him take a seat in
the waiting area, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be
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 examination, 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 George if he had another doctor’s
appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. George told me no, but that he needed to go to St Christopher’s 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 suffered from Alzheimer’s
disease.
As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a little late.
George replied that she no longer knew who he was and that she had not
recognized him in five years.
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.’
I had to hold back tears as George left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and
thought, ‘That is the kind of love I want in my life.’
Footnote: Please send us your inspirational short story.