(4/6/2011)
I’ve always wanted to read Tuesdays with Morrie but have never made the time to do so. I’m not much for reading though I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve heard it is quite a tear-jerker but, as I read it taught me many wonderful lessons and quite a few comical parts in it.
This book is about a time spent between a graduate and his teacher when the teacher becomes ill with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS. Before Mitch, the graduate, spends time with Morrie, he shares what has been happening in his life and how he has been caught up too much in his work. He finds out that Morrie is ill as he is watching TV one night and decides to go and visit his old friend. The book then leads into the 14 different Tuesdays spent with Morrie and the many different life lessons that Mitch learns. Morrie teaches about regret, emotions, family, forgiveness, death, marriage, money, fear of aging and many other topics.
I love this sentence from the book. “He was intent on proving that the word ‘dying’ was not synonymous with ‘useless.’” It really shows that Morrie was not afraid of death and wanted to live out the remainder of his life positively. He wants to be a great influence to all those around him. He is a very grateful, loving, and caring man. The book is amazing. The lessons you learn will be things that you can take with you throughout your life and apply them each day. I really liked the chapters on self-pity, money, and marriage. Morrie is a very intelligent man that has lots of wisdom and the way that he reasons things really gets you thinking. I don’t like to read books but this has been one I have really enjoyed.
Another quote that really applied to me was, "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into 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." I really feel the application in this is that we should all remember that we are children of our Heavenly Father. We have been commanded to love others, to be there as an influence in our community, and to develop our talents. This book in many ways is very Gospel oriented.
I didn’t really find anything that I disliked about this book. Like I said, it can be a tear-jerker, but the things that you will learn will greatly influence you. It’s great for Sunday reading. The lessons you learn are things that you can share with others throughout your life in helping other with their problems. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. You can never go wrong gaining more insight and wisdom on the issues we face daily.