วันเสาร์ที่ 23 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2556

Tuesdays With Morrie - My Thoughts



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I just finished reading the book Tuesdays with Morrie and it is as inspiring as what people have said about it. I have read Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith as well, two years ago. And they are very inspiring, why? Because, for one, it's non-fiction which means it's true-to-life, obviously and it brings out more emotions to the readers because you feel like you have met the same people and you have been with the author in his journey and you have experienced it first hand though you are just sitting in your room reading. But that's what I like about it.

Okay, for those who do not know the story, here is the gist. In college, Morrie Schwartz was Mitch's psychology professor. But to him, he was more of a mentor and as the story progressed, they became almost like relatives. Often, Mitch calls him "coach" as Morrie had come to like it and so, he is called "player". After he graduates from college, he started to seek out a job. Many times he failed until the death of his uncle drove him to go back to school. Eventually, he got a master's degree in journalism and became a sports writer. He went from New York to Florida and finally landed on Detroit where he worked for the Detroit Free Press.

From there, his life started to turn around for the better. He quit renting and bought a house and a car. He married afterwards. All his life, he was chasing after his accomplishments which seemed to give him satisfaction and worth in his life. He thought he could control things when he was successful and so he tried. Up until one night when he hears his professor's name on the TV. Who is Morrie Schwartz? And it hit him.

That was the start of his turning a new leaf. His professor from then on showed him new perspectives and gave him advice on how to live life. By that time, Morrie was already terminally ill and has no more than a few years or even less to live. After realizing that his death was imminent, he started to live. He called everyone he knew, he started to share to people his story--he was simply making his life worth something not only to him but to others. His condition became known to many people and he started receiving letters from people all over.

Mitch got the opportunity to know his professor up-close. He was able to learn many things from him regarding relationships, life, death, marriage, values. He became like a child to Morrie. And the book became his 'final thesis' with his professor. Time came when Morrie was bed-ridden. Lifting his hand was already a heavy load for him to do. Through it all, Mitch was beside him, to help him. Usually they met on Tuesdays and every Tuesday, they would have a great time just talking to each other.

Morrie died peacefully as he always wanted. Nobody was there when he gasped his last breath but it was what he wished for--to have nobody hold on to the memory of knowing that you were there beside him, knowing that you were not able to do anything. He did not want anybody to feel pity for him or to feel guilty, he did not want anybody else to suffer. He just lived life as normally as possible even with the illness. And Mitch still felt the same way toward his professor when he was in college, and when he was almost going to die. Nothing changed except that he became even more cheerful that he got the chance to spend time with all the people before he died.

It is a really great story. For me, to be so engrossed in a book that I would not put it down says something about the book and the author. I read it in one sitting and every page of the book has something that can inspire you. You can feel the literature coming to life and you feel every bit as the author feels. And I believe, Mitch feels deeply for his professor. And I came to like him as well, and I realized more about my life than I have sitting in front of the computer. I have learned so much from this book and I bet everyone who has read it has been consumed and motivated by it.




วันจันทร์ที่ 11 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2556

The Me I Want to Be By John Ortberg



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I work in real estate and I also work for a golf ministry. I love working with people and get frustrated when there is too much bureaucracy especially when it comes to paperwork and real estate. I know me, mostly, and I know that I love working with people and helping them. The golf ministry gives me so much pleasure it feels as if I am not really working most of the time. I help with a programme where young golfers get to follow around golf pros during practice round day and have a q and a session with them. This is super fun and kids and their parents really get into it. The organization of something like this can be a bit overwhelming but nearly all the time everyone is very patient and also gracious. I say all this because this book, along with a couple of others I have read recently (StandOut being uber helpful), have solidified for me that it is okay to do what you love and get paid for it as well. We all have skills that we know about but what about the things that we haven't refined yet.

I have been involved in community events and organization for years now and more recently organize an event in our neighbourhood that is very popular and also great fun. These books helped me to realize (as well as some very helpful and positive feedback from friends) that I should be pursuing a career in event planning and community organization/planning because they are things that I am very good at and also love doing. What a concept. Now many of you are probably thinking 'well duh' but we are so conditioned to thinking about the job rather than the joy. I do not expect to earn a fortune and I'm not going to give up my job with FCA Golf because I make a difference in people's lives and I love doing that. So what's a person to do? Well this book talks about relationships and using our time wisely as well as getting back to what we know and love. I now am stepping out in faith, literally as well as figuratively, and going for it. Now would I have done this without reading these books? I don't know as I am pretty impulsive which I know can be very negative but the positive side of that is I am not afraid of new things. In fact I embrace them.

Next year I am presenting at a women's conference on friendship. This has become a hot topic for me recently. I have previously studied and taught on worldview and church history and find that making history fun helps people to learn about it. Friendship is something that is becoming more difficult for people. We have Facebook and thousands of 'friends' but no face to face time which we need. There are a great couple of chapters which deal with these topics in the book as well so they helped me with that project too. See, a multi-faceted book.

Suffice it to say, we need to be moving forward in our lives and not stagnate. How do you want to be? The me I want to be is a long way off but I am trying and hope that this book helps you to do the same.

You can find more of my book and movie reviews at: http://ukchica.com/