:::A Casual Book Review:::
Being a book person, i enjoy finishing a book very quickly.. yet often than not, christian books somehow couldn't allow me to do that ;) Lately however, i've been drawn to read "Five people you meet in heaven"-- by Mitch Albom, which, I happily finished it within 2 days.. =D
It speaks of this man who lived his life to a ripe age of 83, but didn't live life as fulfilling as he would have wanted it. An unhappy, discontented, disgruntled old man who died saving a child while he was at work at an amusement park. Five different people he saw in heaven, some he was glad to see, reminiscing the past, wishing for time to slow down. Some he was surprised to see, and shocked by the fact how each's life intertwined with his. But all appeared to him for one purpose, to make sense of what happened on earth, and to leave with him something, that will help him make peace with himself...
Thereafter, i chance upon this mail that someone forwarded me:
To my dear friends,
quote :-A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last ! night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many da! ys you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father! died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The nigh! t before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said
"What box?" Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box th! at he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I' ll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep! . I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.
Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting! was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life" A small key was taped! to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was...my ! time"
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"
"Life is not measured by! the num ber of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"
Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.
- At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.
- At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.
- A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.
- Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.
- You mean the world to some! one.
- If not for you, someone may not be living.
- You are special and unique.
- When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.
- When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.
- When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.
- Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.
- Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.
- Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.
- If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.
Interesting.. how we need to be constantly reminded of what is truely important in life.. its not the things that we chase after, often it is the things we leave behind when we are caught up in the chase of life. Is it really a fulfilling life that we are looking Forward to? or has the fulfilling life been with us all the while, but we can't see it because of the sunshades of blindness...
Matthew 13:13-15
That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don't really see. They hear what I say, but they don't really hear, and they don't understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: 'You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes – so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.'
posted by Tinger @ 10:20 PM
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