I still remember the first day of school our professor introduced a little old lady named Rose to us. I was curious about what might have 1 her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always 2having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. I like listening to this "time machine" as she 3 her wisdom and experience with me.
At the end of the term, we 4Rose to make a speech to our football team. As she began to deliver her 5 speech, she dropped her note card on the 6 . A little embarrassed, she simply said, "I'm sorry. This whiskey is 7 me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed, she 8 her throat and began, "We do not stop 9 because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are some secrets to staying 10 , being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find 11 every day. Have a dream. When you 12your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are 13 and don't even know it! There is a huge 14 between growing older and growing up. 15 you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one 16 thing, you will turn twenty years old. That doesn't 17 any talent or ability. The elderly usually don't have18 for what they did, but rather for things they did not do."
One week after graduation, Rose 19 peacefully in her sleep. We will remember the wonderful woman who taught us by example that it's never too late to be all we can20 be.
