Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

The following post is taken directly from my hand-printed Reader's Journal. I will be sharing these reflections each week on the Rivera Runs Through It blog. The date at the end of each post is the date of the original writing, which is typically the date I completed the book. The reflections are short, but represent my initial reactions to a book, a brief summary of the book or the questions it raised for me at the time. I hope you enjoy this segment in my blog and feel free to comment on what you read here.




Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom


OK, so I am still crying. What a great book about all the things we carelessly pass by in life. Morrie Schwartz, through Mitch Albom, educates each reader on how to live a truly rich life. "Once you learn to die, you learn to live" is one of the sayings from Mitch. However, once we have read this book and taken this advice, it is no longer necessary to wait for our deathbeds to have a revelation.

Dated: 07/08/02

What kinds of books/stories bring you to tears?

What if #9

This post is an invitation to you to think about the word in the middle of life: IF (L-IF-E). Each week the Rivera Runs Through It blog will present a different "What If...?" question for you to explore. Some will be serious, some will be silly, some might be political, religious or historical.

You can either write a response of your own, or just tune in to see what everyone else has to say about it. At the bottom of this post will be a place for you to link up your own post about the question, so feel free to share. If you have arrived at this post and the inlinkz tool is closed, or you don't have a blog, then please leave your response (or link) in the comment section below using DISQUS.

Happy pondering to everyone...

What IF #9:

What if I had/hadn't ______________?

It's our first fill in the blank What If question!!

Nearly three months ago when I started compiling my great "What if" questions, I started asking everyone I knew in the real life, and virtually, what their own personal great "What if" questions were. The single most popular answer across the board were questions that fit this mold. Some examples:

• What if I had finished college?
• What if I hadn't stayed in that abusive relationship so long?
• What if I had said "Yes"/"No" to _______? (that proposal, the job offer, that first date)
• What if I hadn't gone to that party?

I think you get the idea... When asked to think about "What Ifs," most people wondered about the choices they made in their life (some big and some small) and what alternate reality they would be living in had they made those choices.

I have resisted posting this question with a fear that it would be interpreted as a request to rehash regrets in some way. I think this question could be a celebration of the serendipitous little moments in our lives that lead us to our current existence. In the end, it is up to you how you would like to interpret it, but, unless one question screams aloud with a desire to be written about RIGHT NOW, then take a moment and then of all of the different angles you can approach this from!

There it is, finally, due to popular demand of the topic, here is your chance to pick your own What if! This week, create your own "What if" question, beginning either with "What if I had...." or "What if I hadn't..." and take it where you like - be as serious, sentimental, or as silly as you like. These questions can go in so many different directions!

 I look forward to the responses, link up or comment below!

For a list of all of the What if questions asked so far, 

see The What If Prompts

[Flash Fiction] This Beautiful Life

This post was written in response to a prompt from the Red Writing Hood. This is my first-ever flash fiction writing. It WAS fun and forced me to think about the storytelling in a completely different way.This week's prompt is as follows:

Flash Fiction can be fun and a real challenge. This week focus on the words and the strength of each to contribute to your story. Write a 300 word piece using the following word for inspiration: LIFE.

"Let her burn," came a voice to her right. She turned to see a horrid face with a toothy grin shrouded in a hood. The man looked like a caricature of death, but when she felt his warm spit on her face and saw the angry mob before her, she slipped easily into the reality of her surroundings. "Hang her!" came one scream with cheers of ascension. "Give her death! She deserves no more!" others yelled. As she looked out into the crowd she saw hate, fury and anguish. Some even brought signs carrying their messages of doom.

Forgiveness was nowhere to be found. As the shackles hung heavy on her wrists and ankles, two men pulled her up onto a platform where she thought, "I deserve this." She caught a glimpse of the noose as a hood was placed over her head and the crowd roared. The rope first slung loosely around her neck as some official statements were read - to her, it was just a mouse squeak amid the cacophony of death calls from the crowds - then a slight push, the rope tightened and

*SNAP*

She was awake. The sun was up, the birds were singing and from where the sun fell onto her face, she could smell her wildflower garden. She and Angie had been working on that for two years now.

She laid there for a moment more.

Life. It is a beautiful thing - it smells beautiful, it sounds beautiful and, just like that morning stream of sun, it feels beautiful - she thought, "I don't deserve this."

Forgiveness was still nowhere to be found, nor did she seek it - being sentenced to LIFE, even if it was behind bars, seemed more than she could ever ask for.