Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch- changes
 

So the poor people around me have had to deal with me going on and on and on and on about this book I read that made me look at some things in a new light. I've rambled on incessantly and they've withstood my blabbering, thanks be to them.:x:

I'm wondering if you have ever read something, anything, that had such a profound imapact on you. What was it and what did you get from it that made such a lasting impression on you?

come on Lil... you gotta tell me which one you are reading...

Yah, I'm curious to know as well what book this is that you've read. I feel like I'm at that point that I could use such a book, but when I walk into BN, I don't walk out with anything along that vein.

oh like you have to drag it outta me.........:D

The Alchemist...it's just a tiny little fiction book (only 171 pages and required reading for my 14 year old) but it came to me when I needed the message it gives. Steph has a quote in her sig.

Got me thinking that surely you guys have read things that have made you feel the same.

D'oh! Had a quote! Murphy's Law -- just changed it! Lemme dig that quote up again, though:

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity."

Another book along the same vein is The Little Prince that suggests that adults should not only stop and smell the roses but should act like kids more. Loved it!

Some quotes from it:

Grown-ups like numbers. When you tell them about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: "What does his voice sound like?" "What games does he like best?" "Does he collect butterflies?". They ask: "How old is he?" "How many brothers does he have?" "How much does he weigh?" "How much money does his father make?" Only then do they think they know him.

If you tell grown-ups, "I saw a beautiful red brick house, with geraniums at the windows and doves on the roof...," they won't be able to imagine such a house. You have to tell them, "I saw a house worth a hundred thousand francs." Then they exclaim, "What a pretty house!"

I really enjoyed "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibron written in 1923.....powerful and mystical and awoke a spirituality within me.

When I was in high school we read Anthem by Ayn Rand. I think I was the only one in the class who absolutely loved it - I cried soooo much reading that book... I was at a time when I really needed to learn to love myself, and Anthem taught me lots.

Not sure if I would say profound imapact, but I have read a lot of books that have made me look at things in a diferent light.

Death Be Not Proud, when I was an impressionable teenager. Taught me that life was too precious to waste a minute of it, that people are capable of amazing things, and that there is NO excuse for not reaching for your dreams.

Also taught me that it was possible to cry your way through an entire box of tissues in one afternoon...but honestly, what teenage girl doesn't figure that one out ;).

Quite a few that I have not read. I'm eager to read "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibron but just have never sat down and made myself. Thanks for the reminder BI BI.

"Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom A true account of a man who goes back to see an old college professor. Morrie is dying of ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. But the old teacher remains a teacher thru the end and beyond, teaching readers years after his death. I love it and the certain truths and "Morrie-isms" that are said.

was also made into a movie where it was Jack Lemmon's last movie.

The story and quotes are wonderful and insightful. Was a required reading, but i still love it and have read it twice more.

liz I loved that book too and gave it away as gifts to people who needed it.

i think that it excellent for all teachers as well :D:D:D

the five people you meet in heaven by albom was also great.

Not a book, but a quote. I have a Franklin Planner with quotes for each day. Sometimes I read them, most days, not. I know two ladies over 80 that are real go-getters. Tuesdays, they shred me at Scrabble. They're not afraid to try/see/do new things. Pardon the ramble, but now to the point. I was worried about not having my BA or MA and what I was going to do with my life. I was also concerned that I couldn't do anything wothwhile and was trapped in my life here. I was thinking about those ladies and I opened my planner to that particular day, and there was the quote. "You're NEVER too old to be what you might have been." Keeps me going and looking at things from fresh angles. Has also fueled a few new ideas in this brain. :)