Just in case you’re a little bit ‘ignorant’ like me, The End of Your Life Book Club, IS just it, a book club. I mean I hear the word, I understand the word, but somehow it did not really register in my brain.
At the start of reading this book, I recall thinking about Hellen Keller’s Memoir, which I have not finished reading. I was more bored than anything. The book talked about all these books and all these authors and all these literature which I have not heard of, ever. At least most of it anyway. But then as I was reading more and more of it (I refuse to ‘give up’ reading another book halfway), I found it more and more interesting how Will Schwalbe was able to convey his feelings and thoughts and his story with his mom, and at the same time aligned it with all these many many books that they are reading. I find myself writing down several books from their book club that I want to read eventually.
Another thing that did not register was that there are an abundance of books out there. I mean I kinda know it but I do not KNOW KNOW it, you know what I mean? But there are easily, I don’t know upward of 50 books mentioned in this book. And it’s also another insight to a different kind of family, different kind of people, who are outside my cultural background, who are doing totally different think from what I do, who are so closely-knit, who impacted people in such a way that they’ll be remembered.
The book was beautifully written. That’s all I’ll say.
What I suddenly understood was that a thank-you note isn’t the price you pay for receiving a gift, as so many children think it is, a kind of minimum tribute or toll, but an opportunity to count your blessings. And gratitude isn’t what you give in exchange for something; it’s what you feel when you are blessed – blessed to have family and friends who care about you, and who want to see you happy. Hence the joy from thanking.
C'est Ma Vie 