Values and Tuesdays with Morrie

Yesterday I went back to the library to re-up on a few books and also return the first batch that I picked up a few weeks ago.  I was not able to finish The Starbucks Experience due to being bored and kind of didn't feel like forcing myself to finish it. Now don't get me wrong, it's an excellent book for those who want to start  a business or who already have a business, but since I'm neither of the aforementioned aspirants, then I just returned it all together. The Saving Graces was a great summer read.  I enjoyed reading about the four women and their lives and all that came along with it. It really did remind me of a Sex in the City, Waiting to Exhale, Girlfriends, kinda feel sans all the drama.  Basically the book being told from the perspective of each friend is why I feel like it reminded me of all these other shows/movies.

During yesterday's library visit, I intended to only select 2 books since I'm technically still reading Creating Your Best Life.  I'm almost done with that book, but upon starting that book, a friend of mine decided he wanted to read it with me so we developed a little "book club" and are discussing the book as we go along. I could have been done with the book earlier this week, but he was traveling so our book discussions have been slightly put on hold.  Anywho, I told myself that I would not be that person checking out tons of books at a time knowing I couldn't read them all in the allotted 3 week checkout period.

Well....let's just say....I became that girl yesterday.

I ended up leaving the library with 4 new books.....plus I still have Creating Your Best Life so that leaves me with 5 books total.  #totallyaddicted #readersAttentionDeficitDisorder.

Don't worry, I'm totally aware that I have this problem...even if I do try to repress the truth and lie to myself about it from time to time :-p

Ok so on with the books! I picked up: Amazing Things Will Happen by C.C. Chapman

                                                           Twenty Something by Robin Marantz Henig and Samantha Henig

                                                           Grace, Gold, & Glory: Gabrielle Douglas by Michelle Burford

                                                           Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

In my defense, I picked up 4 books because 1.) I'm almost done with Creating Your Best Life and Tuesdays with Morrie and Amazing Things Will Happen looked like they would be really easy and short reads! 

To my turnt up surprise, I was right about that! I started Tuesdays with Morrie yesterday while at the library, read more of it after getting home from a church meeting last night, and I finished it this morning. DONE AND DONE! 

Let me start by saying, I loooooooooooooooooooooved this book!!!! Amazing, soul touching, heart wrenched, life changing book right here!! If you haven't read it already, I strongly suggest you do! 

Without spoiling it too bad, it's a true story about a man (Morrie) who is dying from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis aka ALS aka Lou Gehrig's Disease who was a professor at a university and his Tuesday afternoon chats with one of his former students (Mitch Albom).  The former student and professor become really good friends and as the professor is dying, the student visits him every Tuesday and they talk about different topics and life lessons.  

By the end of the book, I was sobbing uncontrollably and was thoroughly touched!! I'm thinking maybe the sobbing came from a hormone overload...gee....thanks Aunt Flow. Nonetheless, it's an awesome book, so don't let my tears dissuade you from reading it! 

On one particular Tuesday, Morrie and Mitch talk about marriage. Morrie suggests to Mitch that a couple should share the same values or else they will be in a lot of trouble. After reading that, I IMMEDIATELY began to think of what I would want a potential suitor for myself to value. Morrie then went on to say that in marriage, you will learn a lot about yourself and a lot about your spouse. That triggered me to pump those ever so overpowering brakes of mine and to forget about the potential suitor's values, and to start thinking about my own! Like really get to know myself and discover what my values are! 

That may seem silly to you and you might think, "duh....of course you should know your own values", but to be honest with you, I never really thought it out in a list form.  Now there's no right or wrong answer to this approach, but I really got to thinking about what would I say I truly value if someone asked me. 

My mind raced at a mile/minute and I eventually came up with this. The list goes on the more I think about it, but for now....here it is: faith, family, education, health (both mentally and physically), love, respect, growth, personal care/maintenance, loyalty, the institution of marriage, opportunities to be inspired, financial freedom.

And now my mind is going a blank, but those are a few that I came up with. I'm sure there are other things that I could be missing that I would certainly nod in agreement if someone else mentioned it.  

So what do you value? Have you ever read Tuesdays with Morrie?