TUESDAYS with Morrie.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
For One More Day.
The first one highlights compelling thoughts that Mitch learned from his professor, Morrie Schwartz, whom he met on Tuesdays in his house. Together, they talked about the inevitable realities in life: love, marriage, death, ageing, etc.
The second book brings the readers to the so-called heaven, through Eddie, the main character in the story. There, Eddie met five people whom he never thought he would ever meet.
The third story is about Charley Benetto, who, as Mitch describes, has been chasing the wrong things in life. Charley realizes what he is missing when he gets to spend another day with his mom.
These three stories are enough to make us feel that indeed, life isn’t what we see it to be. And sometimes, we need other people to make us realize that there is more to life than just waking up in the morning and going back to bed at the end of the day.
Mitch Albom’s latest book, have a little faith, brings us to a higher level of self-reflection. I call it the higher level because this book talks about what many people are afraid to discuss in detail: FAITH.
THE BOOK
have a little faith is a creative non-fiction book that puts in context stories of two men -- a rabbi who is approaching death, and a pastor who was once a drug dealer – who both see faith as an important ingredient in surviving in this world.
It is emphasized in the book that faith, above all things, is what keeps a person sane in trying times of his/her life.
Reflection points in the book:
A rabbi asked Mitch to deliver his eulogy when he died. At first, Mitch had second thoughts about accepting it. He felt like he didn’t deserve it for he is not a religious person, but he accepted the offer and committed himself to knowing the rabbi more so he could have first-hand information to deliver when the “time” comes.
“I thought I was being asked a favor,
when in fact I was being given one.”
-Mitch Albom
I love this quote from Mitch Albom. Some people simply don’t realize that when someone asked them for a favor, it is actually they who are given a favor. This is especially true in the workplace.
For instance, when the university officials pressure the faculty members to finish their Ph. D.’s or their Master’s , it’s not really for the university, but most especially for the faculty members themselves. Some teachers just see this pressure from the officials as something annoying but looking closer, when the faculty finished further studies, he’d get something no one could take away from him/her. So, I guess, the pressure should be something to be grateful about. Let’s face it: Without pressure, studying, for many, is not an attractive option.
Speaking of pressure ---- my best memory of the former president of AUF, Dr. Pama, was when he told the faculty in a seminar on Values Alignment some time in October 2006 that one needs to align his own values with the core values of the university. When I first heard it from him, I was skeptic. I thought all he wanted then was to get the faculty into performing in the way that would benefit only the university. I even told myself then, “Here he is trying to brainwash the faculty…”
Later, I found myself reviewing the core values of AUF, as described by Sir Aaron Antonio during the seminar. Then, I tried to see how I could possibly align my own professional goals with the university’s. I thought of doing it because anyway, “What have I got to lose?” Besides, back then, I thought something was missing in my professional life.
In the end, I found it fulfilling to realize some goals and think that I did myself a favor and the favor is extended to the company I am working for.
It was then that I thought: Dr. Pama’s appeal to the faculty to align their values with the university’s core values makes sense. It was a favor being given to the faculty, not a favor being asked for by Dr. Pama.
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A story told to Mitch by the Rabbi:
A man buried his wife. At the gravesite, he stood
by the Reb, tears falling down his face.
“I loved her,” he whispered.
The Reb nodded.
“I mean… I really loved her.”
The man broke down.
“And… I almost told her once.”
The Reb looked at me [Mitch] sadly.
“Nothing haunts like the things we don’t say.”
This quote has been haunting me since the day I read it.
Let me tell you a story.
Wilson was the first person who trusted her. And then she trusted him too. They exchanged e-mails to tell each other how much she admired him and how much he liked her. However, the feelings were expressed only in mails, never face-to-face though they saw each other in the workplace. He wasn’t ready to express his feelings in front of her. And she didn’t have the courage to let him feel it when they were together. Being together for them meant talking about work and thesis, nothing else.
Then the e-mail exchange ended. He said he’d rather end it because he had no way of responding to it.
Days had passed. He didn’t show up in the workplace for many days. He got sick – really ill. When he came back, she saw him by the door while she was attending a seminar. She wanted to talk to him to tell him that the feelings haven’t flown out the window. But she didn’t do anything to talk to him. She was just contented to see him smile at her that day. Yes, he smiled at her. Little did she know that that would be the last smile from him that she would see.
The news that broke out on a gloomy afternoon on November 2 of 2005 broke her heart. He passed away. He hasn’t said goodbye to her. She hasn’t told him face-to-face how special he was to her.
The next day, she found herself talking to him. Her eyes were filled with tears. But he couldn’t respond – not in any way. That was in his funeral. No matter what she said, he would never answer. Then a hand tapped her shoulder. Still with tears in her eyes, she looked at the owner of the hand that tapped her shoulder. It was his wife.
How cruel life could be… She was crying over someone else’s spouse.
If only she faced her fear of telling him how she felt while he could still hear it. If only…
Till now, she still hopes she could let him know how much she did regret the day she delayed saying what she wanted to express.
Indeed, “Nothing haunts like the things we don’t say” (p. 2).
We should never deprive ourselves of the chance to tell others how much we feel. The people we love may not be here forever, so what goodness will it bring us if we keep to ourselves what other people ought to know?
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