Books & Life

I just finished reading a book a friend practically forced me to buy. I was at Barnes and Nobles looking for something that caught my eye and my friend grabbed a small book and handed it to me.

"This is such a good book" she said. "It'll change your life. I even told another of our friends to read it and she loved it too."

The book was rather small and had a peculiar name - Tuesdays With Morrie.

I bought the book along with a fiction thriller and promised I would read it and tell her what I thought.

This week has involved a lot of work and more than a little internal searching. For a long time I have told friends that I make sure I give my mom, dad and grandmother the same gift on every occasion. The one thing they can't buy and haven't accumulated enough of -time. In the case of my family, time with me.

I have always appreciated whenever I am able to get family together for a dinner out or friends together for a trip or a night together. Sometimes, though, it seems as if I am the only one who realizes the importance of these moments. The importance of sharing experiences and stories with those that matter in your life. The reciprocal give and take of relationships and the appreciation for someone who spends their most precious gift with you - time.

A long time ago I realized that you can't force anyone to love you and you can't force anyone to appreciate you. All you can do is be who you are, give what you can and not feel resentment when actions aren't reciprocated. Forgiveness is also important. These lessons and more were mentioned in this small book (less than 200 pages). I guess this was a comforting thought since the older I get, the more I seek the answers that this book attempted to provide.

Perhaps it hit closer to home since I am the same age as the author when he wrote the book. Either way, today I hope to appreciate the small things a bit more...