4th Book: The Five People You Meet In Heaven

For starters, I commend Mitch Albom for having the courage to write a book that touches a sensitive topic- death and the concept of heaven. After, "Tuesdays with Morrie"  I felt like this would be a hit or miss business, granted the theme that he chose, but he took his chance anyway and I think it went well.

"Everyone has an idea of heaven as do most religions..." Albom said in his introduction. His was a guess, a wish in some ways that his uncle, and others like him, those people who felt unimportant here on earth realize finally, how much they mattered and how they were loved.

While his idea and mine are different, it's good to get to know his point of view. Why you meet those 'five people'. It's for them to shed light about the sense of your life on earth.

The story of Eddie, a war veteran and a maintenance at the Ruby Pier amusement park somehow made me think about life, experiences, and death. Eddie thought he just wasted his life away, being stuck in the Ruby Pier greasing and maintaining the rides, making sure they are safe for people to ride. He spent his life there, doing that menial work. And eventually he lost his life trying to save a little girl. He wasn't even sure if he did save her. All he know was in his afterlife, he would meet five people who will help him make sense of his life on earth.

These are some of lines that stuck me.

Strangers... are just family you have yet to come to know. -The blue man

No life is a waste...the only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone. - The blue man

Dying? Not the end of everything. We think it is. But what happens on earth is only the beginning. -The captain

Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to. - The captain

Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else. -The captain

But our eyes are different. What you see ain't what I see. - The captain

Silence was his escape, but silence is rarely a refuge. -Ruby

Holding anger is a poison. It east you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves. -Ruby

Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form that's all. You can't see their smile or bring them food... but when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner.You nurture it.You hold it.You dance with it. -Marguerite

Life has to end... love doesn't. - Marguerite

(You're ) supposed to be there. You keep people safe. You make good for me. - Tala

Next in line: Lumayo ka nga sa akin  by Bob Ong (This wasn't the original next book but, my future sis-in-law lent it, so I have to read it fast, before she takes it back. lol)