My latest great read.

Tuesdays with Morrie


I have just finished reading “Tuesdays with Morrie” this afternoon; I began reading it about 12 hours before. I did sleep, but I was drawn back to it as soon as I awoke. I couldn’t decide if the book was about dying or living and then I realized it was about both; after all you can’t have one with out the other.

The story is told about a man, Morrie Schwartz, who is 76, and quickly approaching death from ALS; the story is written by his student in class and in life, Mitch Albom. It’s a story about an old man, his life and all the great lessons that came so clearly to him through it and especially towards the end.

Perhaps like me you’ve heard of this wonderful story of this man’s life and death and you haven’t gotten around to reading it. I’d encourage you now to do so. Today day is a better day in my life than yesterday was, as a direct result of reading this book. If you’ve already read this book then you know exactly what I’m talking about, if you’ve forgotten the message then perhaps read it again.

He was a professor and a project oriented man and he decided to make death his final project. From this project he enjoyed the process and left us an amazing final product. HE wanted to leave us with the message that “dying” is not “useless”, it was the most necessary part of life. He reminds the reader that life is about “being human”, “fully-human” and relating to others”, “connectedness”..

Some of his life philosophies are shared:
- Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do.
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- Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it.
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- Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others.
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- Don’t assume that it’s too late to get involved.
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- The way you get meaning in your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”

- The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let love come in.

- Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.

- Forgive yourself and then forgive others.

- Death ends a life, not relationships.
This book asks, “Who is Morrie Schwartz?”

I ask, “Who am I?”

After reading this book I know the answers to both those questions a whole lot more.