Reading this:
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, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."
"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 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 easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled 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 and 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 3x 5 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 humor 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 eight-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn?t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the 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.
From "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, its only seed."
It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance.
It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes a chance.
It's the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give,
And the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.
When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long,
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,
Just remember, in the winter far beneath the bitter snow,
Lies the seed that with the sun's love, in the spring becomes the rose."
http://theroselyrics.com/
and:
The Rose Lyrics
More Rose Songs
The Rose Lyrics - Bette Midler song
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, its 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 dying
That never learns to live
When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snow
Lies the seed
That with the sun's love, in the spring
Becomes the rose
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The Rose Song Lyrics Information
The Rose was recorded by Bette Midler in1979
Other popular recording have been by Conway Twitty
In 1983 and Leann Rimes in1997
Lyrics and Song Music by Amanda Mc Broom
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And
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How "THE ROSE" came to be (by Amanda McBroom)
People often ask me what inspired me to write The Rose. Here is the story:
I was driving down the freeway one afternoon, some time in 1977-something. I was listening to the radio. A song came on. It was "Magdalena" by Danny O’Keefe, sung by Leo Sayer. I liked it immediately. My favorite line was "Your love is like a razor. My heart is just a scar." I thought," Ooh, I love that lyric."
As I continued to drive the thought came, I don’t agree with the sentiment. I don’t think love is like a razor. (I was younger then.) What, then, do I think love is? Suddenly, it was as if someone had opened a window in the top of my head. Words came pouring in. I had to keep reciting them to myself as I drove faster and faster towards home, so I wouldn’t forget them. I screeched into my drive way, ran into the house, past various bewildered dogs and cats and husband, and sat down at the piano. Ten minutes later, The Rose was there.
I called my husband, George, into the room and played it for him, as I always did with my new songs. He listened, and quietly said to me, "You’ve just written a standard." I protested that no one but my pals would ever hear it. (This is long before I had ever recorded anything.) He said," Mark my words, something is going to happen with this song."
A year or so later, a professional song - writer friend of mine said, "Listen. There is this movie coming out called "The Rose". They are looking for a title tune. Do you want me to submit this to them?" I had never really tried to submit this song to anyone. I didn’t consider myself a song writer at the time. So I said, "Sure."
She submitted the tune to the producers, who hated it. They thought it was dull and a hymn and not rock and roll and totally wrong. They put it in the reject box. But the divine Paul Rothchild, who was the music supervisor on the film, and had been Janis Joplin’s producer, hauled it out and asked them to reconsider. They again said no. So he mailed it to Bette Middler. She liked it, and that’s how it got into the film and changed my life forever.
I have never written another song as quickly. I like to think I was the window that happened to be open when those thoughts needed to come through. I am eternally grateful... to Bette Midler... to Paul Rothchild... to Bill Kerby, who wrote the screenplay...to my friend who first submitted it for me... and to the Universe for speaking to me in the first place and for showing me what I truly believe..........
.......... Originally the film was to be called "The Pearl", which was Janis Joplin’s nick name. But her family refused permission to use that name. Lucky for me. "Pearl" is much harder to rhyme than "Rose".