28. For One More Day

For One More Day unmasks the beauty and complexity of the relationship between a mother and her child. It also gives you the chance to ponder on what family really means, to the world and to you, most of all. In just a few hours, you'll come to realize how many stupid times you've failed to express how much you love your mother, how much you've taken her for granted. And just when you've come to your senses? Poof. It's already too late, your mother's not with you anymore.

This is Chick Benetto's story, an ex-baseball player. He got a slap on his face when he got pictures of her only daughter's wedding looking so happy (without him). He felt so shut out and so he decided to just take away his life. He had a near-death experience.

He had one more day with his mother. And that's when the secrets of the past got uncovered. 

It's amazing how one book can change how you feel or how you see life, how you see the ones you love. I love how this book made me love my mother a million times more. I mean sure I'm the "black sheep" of the family and I've done so many stupid things, but that doesn't mean I love my mother any less. If there's one person in this world I love so much, that would definitely be her. And right now, all I want to do is to start on a very clean slate and make it up to her as soon as possible. Nothing's certain, only a mother's love is. There's nothing a mother won't do just to see her children happy. There's nothing a mother won't do just to send her children to school. 

"A child embarrassed by his mother is just a child who hasn't lived long enough."

This one is very true. I believe you'll never really understand something if you're not experiencing it yourself. I am already a mother (single) too and I can really say that I've never seen my mother now the way I've seen her before. I have high respect for her, for the things she's done and is still doing for us. No words can ever express how much I love my mother. I have taken her for granted, I didn't know what I was doing back then. I was so young and so impulsive but I've learned my lessons. Now it's time to give back, to make her feel special, like she's Queen Elizabeth. 

"...when you're looking at your mother, you are looking at the purest love you will ever know"

It's truly amazing how a mother loves her child. Like I said, I'm like the "black sheep" of the family but never did my mother make me feel like I'm not worthy of her love. She is the most compassionate person I know, the most patient, the most kind. She never gave up one me... and that's what keeps me going. 

This is a very good read, it will touch your innermost soul. Everybody has a mother. Everybody should read this. Let's all be the daughter or son that every mother deserves. They're supermoms and they deserve nothing but the best kids!!! 

To all the mothers out there, especially mine, we love you. We thank you for the unconditional love you have for us. We are very much proud to have mothers like you.

Nanay, one day, you'll be proud to have a daughter like me. I'll strive to be the best, like you. You are my Wonderwoman. I'll make your dreams come true, that's a promise I'll sure keep. I love you to the moon and back!!! ❤

Love,

M x

27. The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Every one has his own idea of heaven and this is Eddie's heaven, not an idea, not a destination but an answer. Eddie is an 83-year-old man. He fought for his country some time ago and got wounded. Since then, he's been different... All his life, all he's wanted is to go out of Ruby Pier (where he's working). Thus, he's always thought he's living a worthless, meaningless life. And that's what the five people for, to give light to the dark, to give answers to the unspoken questions. 

Eddie's five people:

• The Blue Man

• The Captain (soldier)

• Ruby (where the amusement park got its name)

• His wife... the one and only woman of his life. (Aside from his mother, of course. Haha.)

• Tala, a Filipino girl

Oh yes. I love this book!!! I love it simply because it features the Philippines, well kind of, but still. 

PS: When Eddie enlisted, he was sent to the Philippines. 

A conversation with the captain: Eddie's second person

Ahhhhh yes!!! Only in the Philippines!!! :D

I am a happy Pinay nerd but I'm the happiest whenever I read some things about the Philippines in a best-selling novel or like if I hear a best-selling author talk about the Philippines. That's good publicity. =)

I hope one day, authors would include the Philippines more often. 

Mitch Albom, thank you. If you or haven't been to the Philippines, visit again and we'll welcome you with big open arms. xoxo

Read this book. I know at the end, you'd think who you'll meet in the afterlife. I know because I did too. Hehehe. Will I be in your list? Or will you be in mine?

PPS: I love the ending. Must-read. 

Love,

M x

26. Tuesdays with Morrie

I once was asked through http://ask.fm/mhygsz a few months ago if there’s one book I think everyone should be required to read... I thought so hard... I've read a good number of really influential books but I couldn't think of one thing in particular which could seriously affect significant change to its readers. Now that I've read Tuesdays with Morrie, I finally know why I hadn't answered that question, not that I don’t want to, I just didn't have the answer yet until now. So here I am, answering that question... 

If there’s one book I would love everyone to read, it would definitely be Tuesdays with Morrie. It is a very powerful and important book. It is a work of love. It is about Mitch Albom and his dear old professor’s final project, Morrie Schwartz’s death.

Morrie is a very intelligent man. He is very wise. His glass is always half-full. He knows the right words to say and when to say it, a man of very good words, and a man of aphorisms. Mitch is his favorite player, his favorite student and Morrie... well, Morrie’s everybody’s favorite professor, and he is Mitch’s coach, his favorite coach.

On a hot humid day in August 1994, Morrie and his wife Charlotte found out Morrie has ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) which is a brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system. It never occurred to Morrie to just surrender to the disease. Instead, he was intent on proving that the word dying isn't synonymous with useless. In fact, he still attended a semester in the university.

“He would not wither. He would not be ashamed of dying. Instead, he would make death his final project, the center point of his days.”

One thing I like about this book is, it’s really very educational. It teaches you about love, life and death. He’s just not teaching every reader to love life but to love death as well. Everybody knows death is inevitable yet nobody believes it. On their fourth Tuesday, they talked about death and this is what the old intelligent man has to say, “Learn how to die, and you learn how to live.” On their sixth Tuesday, they talked about emotions. Morrie is very brave. He dealt with ALS very well. He even said, 

“I’m not afraid of being lonely, but now I’m going to put that loneliness aside and know that there are other emotions in the world and I’m going to experience them as well.”

In my heart of hearts, I know Morrie has touched me. If given the chance, I would very much love to talk to him. He is full of wisdom. He is very much willing to share what he's learning about life and the essentials of living. He wants to share his story. Morrie is also a great listener, he believes in being fully present. When he talks to you, he thinks of only you. Never have I stumbled into a man whose intention’s so pure, whose number one preference is to impart knowledge to his students as Morrie Schwartz. He is the ideal professor. The whole world needs lots of professors like him.

Please take time to sit down and read about Morrie. He won't disappoint you. I'm pretty sure  he'll make you get a pen and a paper and you'll just scribble and scribble and scribble. There's just so much aphorism you'd hate to forget.

Some of Morrie's aphorisms:

• The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in.

• Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are going to have other people to trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too - even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling.

• Detachment doesn't mean you don't let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully. That's how you are able to leave it.

• I delight in being a child when it's appropriate to be a child. I delight to being a wise old man when it's appropriate to be a wise old man.

• You can't substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship.

• Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

• Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone.

• Do the kinds of things that come from the heart.

• Don't let go too soon, but don't hang up too long.

• Sometimes, when you're losing someone, you hang on to whatever tradition you can.

• Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do. Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it.

• Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others.

• Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted.

• A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle.

and of course, my favorite Morrie aphorism...

"You are not a wave, you're part of the ocean."

 PS: Don't forget to have a hanky with you. A tear will roll down on your cheeks as you flip another page. Now sit down, grab the book and spend some QT with Morrie. It's so worth it. 

Love,

M x