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October 22, 2007, 9:13 pm PDT
10/23 Tuesdays with Morrie
Quote From: presloisON NOVEMBER 24, 2004, MY SON, BRYCE, KILLED HIMSELF. I WAS SO DEVASTATED THAT I THOUGHT LIFE COULD NOT POSSIBLY GO ON. THEN I STARTED READING MITCH ALBOM'S BOOKS. I HAVE READ THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, AND FOR ONE MORE DAY. THESE BOOKS HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO HELP ME HEAL FROM THIS UNIMAGINABLE GRIEF. IN THE BOOK THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, I LEARNED ABOUT FORGIVENESS, SELF FORGIVENESS. I OFTEN WONDERED WHO MY SON'S FIVE PEOPLE COULD BE. BUT. MORE IMPORTANT, I REALIZED THAT BRYCE WAS AT A PLACE WHERE HE COULD FINALLY FORGIVE HIMSELF FOR ALL HIS PERCEIVED SHORTCOMINGS.
I WAS A BIT RELUCTANT TO READ TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE. I KNEW IT WAS ABOUT NO REGRETS BECAUSE MORRIES CEEBRATED HIS LIFE EVERY DAY. AFTER BRYCE DIED, I HAD SO MANY REGRETS. MOST OF THEM HAD TO DO WITH THE THINGS I FELT THAT I HAD LEFT UNDONE WITH BRYCE. TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE HELPED ME UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS NEVER TOO LATE. I HAVE TWO OTHER CHILDREN, HELEN AND RYAN, WHO I KNEW THAT I HAD THE CHANCE TO DO THE THINGS FOR AND WITH THAT I FELT I HAD DROPPED THE BALL WHEN IT CAME TO BRYCE. I LEARNED THE BEST WAY TO HONOR MY SON WAS TO LIVE LIFE FULLY AND WITH AS MUCH HAPPINESS AS I CAN MUSTER UP.
FOR ONE MORE DAY BECAME THE MOST DIFFICULT TO READ. ONCE I GOT INTO IT, I WAS NOT SURE I WANTED TO FINISH. IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME THAT IT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS THAT I COULD READ AT THIS TIME. IT TAUGHT ME TO GIVE PAUSE AND TRULY TAKE A LOOK AT WHO MIGHT THINK I AM AN IMPORTANT PERSON IN THEIR LIVES. I NEVER DREAMED HOW MANY PEOPLE IT WOULD HONESTLY HURT IF I WERE TO DO AS MY SON DID. I MUST ADMIT THAT I WAS AMAZED AT THE TURN OUT FOR HIS VISITATION AND FUNERAL FLOORED ME. I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT HE TOUCHED IN JUST 27 SHORT YEARS! EVEN SO, IT DID NOT MAKE ME TAKE A HARD LOOK ABOUT THOSE AROUND ME. WE DON'T ALWAYS THINK ABOUT HOW WE AFFECT OTHERS, NOT JUST THE CLOSE ONES BUT HOW IT TRICKLES DOWN.
MITCH ALBOM, PLEASE KEEP ON WRITING ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH. THEY ARE BOTH SO BEAUTIFUL AND PAINFUL AT THE SAME TIME. IT IS APPARENT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THIS TO A GREAT EXTENT. I share your pain and your pathway with Mitch Albom's books
There is nothing worse in the world than to loose a child. But you have 2 more and they need your undivided love and attention. For whatever reason, Bryce decided to take his life. Even though it will never soothe your pain, it was his choice. And to get to that level, it takes a lot of courage. He maybe physically lost to you but as you said he lives in you for ever. To deal though with physical absence is hard: you can't see, you can't smell and we are not used to that, etc.. but....
The wonderful gift that Micth Albom gives us as an author is how every time he goes a step further and deeper into our souls in a very simple way. He makes us feel, smell and almost touch.
His path to our growth is painful and not easy but he makes us move forward and cope with reality of life.
He forces us to dig into ourselves to reassess how we impact and/or react to others around us.
He wakes us up, so to speak, and make us realize that we are not the "center of the world, "too busy.., etc"
Mitch Albom is a great teacher of souls and human spirit. Not once he is negative and he shares his own lesson. I commend him for his courage to share with others what he personnaly learned.
For one more day, has been extremely hard for me too. I just posted a long message about my own dealings with close to home events and my experience with Mitch Albom's books - same way as yours
Best of Love
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