Have a Little Faith

Several months ago, I picked up the book "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom thanks to recommendation from a few friends. It gave me a lot to think about life, death and how we (and I) are living our present now. It was then timely as I was struggling to find the meaning of life and living in the past, present, and future.

Almost a year later, I picked Mitch's second non-fictional account, "Have a Little Faith", also by recommendation. Interestingly, it was also now timely read, because I've been pondering questions on faith. Like the author, I think about what the meaning and sense of faith is to me and what bearing it has in my life and the place I live in today.

Have a Little Faith is Mitch's account of his journey and experiences between two faiths, which started when his rabbi, Albert Lewis, requested for Mitch to write his eulogy. He accepted the request on the condition that he get to understand this rabbi as a man and we read this journey of 8 years. In parallel, Mitch also tells of his involvement with a pastor, who is a reformed drug dealer and convict, and is preaching to the homeless in a run-down church with a hole in its roof.

It is a lovely book, very well-written and gives much to think about. For me, it is a reminder of how I made life difficult for me by missing the simple yet elegant points in life. And how faith can help to keep us from discourse when we fail to see these points in life. There are a few quotes from the book that I would like to share:

"...faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe."
- Albert Lewis

"Be satisfied. Be grateful. For what you have. For the love you receive. And for what God has given you."
- Albert Lewis on the secret of happiness.

"Sometimes, if they are communicating well, they have a good chance. If they have a similar belief system, similar values, they have a good chance. Love they should always have. But love changes. Love-the infatuation kind - 'he's so handsome, she's so beautiful'-that can shrivel. As soon as something goes wrong, that kind of love can fly out the window. On the other hand, a true love can enrich itself. It gets tested and grows stronger. That kind of love - the kind you realize you already have by the life you've created together - that's the kind that lasts."
- Albert Lewis on survival of marriages.

"I think people expect too much from marriage today. They expect perfection. Every moment should be bliss. That's TV or movies. But that is not the human experience. Like Sarah (his wife) says, twenty good minutes here, forty good minutes there, it adds up to something beautiful. The trick is when things aren't so great, you don't junk the whole thing. It's okay to have an argument. It's okay that the other one nudges you a little, bothers you a little. It's part of being close to someone."
- Albert Lewis on marriage.

"A happiness you cannot find alone."
- Albert Lewis on commitment to each other in marriage.

"Would you want the world to all look alike? No. The genius of life is its variety. Even in our own faith, we have questions and answers, interpretations, debates. In Christianity, in Catholicism, in other faiths, the same thing - debates, interpretations. That is the beauty. It's like being a musician. If you found the note, and you keep hitting that note all the time, you would go nuts. It's the blending of the different notes that makes the music. (The music) Of believing in something bigger than yourself."
- Albert Lewis when Mitch asked why is the world so fractured (with many different faiths).

"That is not faith. That is hate. And if you ask me, God sits up there and cries when that happens."
- Albert Lewis when asked what if someone from another faith won't recognize yours or wants you dead for it.

"But today is not yesterday."
- Mitch Albom

"That kindness saved my life."
- Cass on Pastor Henry Covington providing him shelter and food when he was homeless.

"I know it. I done 'em, too. But it's not me against the other guy. It's God measuring you against you."
- Cass when Mitch commented that Henry has done some bad things in his life.

"Maybe all you get are chances to do good, and what little bad you do ain't much bad at all. But because God has put you in the position where you can always do good, when you do something bad - it's like you let God down. And maybe people who only get chances to do bad, always around bad things, like us, when they finally make something good out of it, God's happy."
- Cass on Henry Covington's past and his work for the homeless.

"If you could pack for heaven, this was how you'd do it, touching everthing, taking nothing."
- Mitch Albom

"Mitch, it does no good to be angry or carry grudges. It churns you up inside. It does you more harm than the object of your anger. (Let go) or don't let it get started in the first place. You know what I found over the years? When I had a disagreement with someone, and they came to talk to me, I always began by saying, "I've thought about it. And in some ways maybe you're right.""
- Albert Lewis on forgiveness.

"And I should be ashamed of thinking I knew everything, because you can know the whole world and still feel lost in it. So many people are in pain - no matter how smart or accomplished - they cry, they yearn, they hurt. But instead of looking down on things, they look up, which is where I should have been looking, too. Because when the world quiets to the sound of your own breathing, we all want the same things: comfort, love, and a peaceful heart."
-Mitch Albom

"Please love one another, talk to one another, don't let trivialities dissolve friendships..."
- Albert Lewis in his final message to his congregation.

～みはる～