Tuesdays with Morrie: A New Perspective on Life and Death

I just finished reading the book Tuesdays with Morrie and it is as inspiring as what people have said about it.

I have read Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith as well, two years ago. And they are very inspiring, why?

Because, for one, it's non-fiction which brings out more emotion to the readers.

You feel like you have met the same people and you have been with the author in his journey right where you're sitting.

For those who do not know the story, here is the gist of it. In college, Morrie Schwartz was Mitch's psychology professor. But to Mitch, he was more of a mentor. As the story progressed, they became almost like relatives.

Often, Mitch calls him "coach" and likewise, Morrie calls him "player". After graduating from college, Mitch started to seek a job but with no success until the death of his uncle drove him to go back to school.

Eventually, he got a master's degree in journalism and became a sports writer. He went from New York to Florida and finally landed on Detroit where he worked for the Detroit Free Press.

From there, his life started to turn around for the better. He quit renting and bought a house and a car. He married afterwards. All his life, he was chasing after his accomplishments which seemed to give him satisfaction and worth in his life.

He thought he could control things when he was successful and so he tried. Up until one night when he hears his professor's name on the TV. Who is Morrie Schwartz? And it hit him.

That was the start of his turning a new leaf. His professor from then on showed him new perspectives and gave him advice on how to live life. By that time, Morrie was already terminally ill and has no more than a few years or even less to live.

After realizing that his death was imminent, he started to live. He called everyone he knew, he started to share to people his story--he was simply making his life worth something not only to him but to others. His condition became known to many people and he started receiving letters from people all over.

Mitch got the opportunity to know his professor up-close. He was able to learn many things from him regarding relationships, life, death, marriage, values. He became like a child to Morrie. And the book became his 'final thesis' with his professor.

The time came when Morrie was bed-ridden. Lifting his hand was already a heavy load for him to do. Through it all, Mitch was beside him, to help him. Usually they met on Tuesdays and every Tuesday, they would have a great time just talking to each other.

Morrie died peacefully as he always wanted. Nobody was there when he gasped his last breath but it was what he wished for--to have nobody hold on to the memory of knowing that you were there beside him, knowing that you were not able to do anything.

He did not want anybody to feel pity for him or to feel guilty, he did not want anybody else to suffer. He just lived life as normally as possible even with the illness.

Mitch still felt the same way toward his professor when he was in college, and when he was almost going to die. Nothing changed except that he became even more cheerful that he got the chance to spend time with all the people before he died.

It is a really great story. For me, to be so engrossed in a book that I would not put it down says something about the book and the author.

I read it in one sitting and every page of the book has something that can inspire you. You can feel the literature coming to life and you feel every bit as the author feels. And I believe, Mitch feels deeply for his professor.

I came to like him as well, and I realized more about my life than I have before. I have learned so much from this book and I bet everyone who has read  it has been consumed and motivated by it. If you are interested to grab a copy, you can buy it on Amazon.