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Letters to Sam

A Grandfather's Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Gifts of Life

By Daniel Gottlieb

(32)

| Others | 9781402756689

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2 Reviews

Inspiring and touching. Love to share it with those with emotional wounds to be healed. I am particularly impressed by his words, "When I am in a dark tunnel, I want to be with people who love me enough to sit in the darkness with me and not stand outside telling me how to get out." This is exactly ... (continue)

Inspiring and touching. Love to share it with those with emotional wounds to be healed. I am particularly impressed by his words, "When I am in a dark tunnel, I want to be with people who love me enough to sit in the darkness with me and not stand outside telling me how to get out." This is exactly what I think.

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Momiidol said on Oct 18, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

*** This comment contains spoilers! ***

Letters to Sam

Most of the time when I do reading, I'd finish a book in a haste. It feels like I've swallowed the book straight down to my tummy. But this time, I've decided to read slowly and even re-read some chapters before flipping to new ones.
"Letters to Sam" is a book you need time to digest, to abso ... (continue)

Most of the time when I do reading, I'd finish a book in a haste. It feels like I've swallowed the book straight down to my tummy. But this time, I've decided to read slowly and even re-read some chapters before flipping to new ones.
"Letters to Sam" is a book you need time to digest, to absorb every line of wisdom and enlightening thoughts. The book itself is very thin, but the wisdom and advice consisted are immense. I particularly like one of the chapters - Reclaiming Your Wisdom:
"We're born square but die round. As the waters of life wash over us, we lose our sharp corners........."
I found this line coherent with another Chinese saying I've heard from friends "人愈大夢想便愈小". As we grow and learn more about the world and the reality, we start to lose our ambitions and dreams. We just try to minimize all the risk in order to protect ourselves and we give up our corners for being able to fit ourselves in any circumstances. This line is very a good metaphor.
"A wonderful Jewish teaching tells us that before a child is born, God infuses all the wisdom and knowledge he or she needs in life. Then God puts his finger on the child's lips and says, "shh," making the moment that a secret pact between the child and God. As the story goes, that's why everyone has that indentation on the upper lip. It's God's fingerprint."
I really like this small piece of story telling us that we all get what we need before we come to the world. So when you cry for something, it's not what you need, it's something you want more only.

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Bus Reader said on Sep 10, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback