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 see, 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 our condition.
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 and 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 could 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 cheeks. 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.