Book 1: New Year's Day Read

A year ago, I read a book on New Year's Day.  I found it powerful and inspiring.  I asked my son to read it, but he didn't. I will ask him again to read it tonight because I see so much of my son in this man.  But more than that, Randy Pausch's Last Lecture speaks to how to live life.  His ideals speak to me in a way that Cami Walker's 29 Gifts didn't even though both books were written from a place of making the world a better place.  I said that I could see myself reading this book EVERY New Year's Day and I thought earlier today that perhaps I was being a bit over the top.  I honored that comment by downloading the book today and re-reading it.  I understand why I wrote such an extremest comment.  I am glad to start the new year with his words ringing in my ears.  I cannot encourage you enough to make the time, read his words and live your life.  

Here is what I wrote last year:  

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

I started the year off reading a truly inspirational book by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (remember I read two of his books last year).  Randy rode his bike daily while fighting cancer and on 53 long bike rides he spoke with Jeffrey Zaslow who put the book together for him.  He could have done it himself, but it would have taken precious time from his family.  The book is The Last Lecture and this is my second attempt at reading it.  Last time I read on the book jacket that he was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon and that this was his last lecture.  For some reason, I was drawn to checking it out again from the library and I read it in a single afternoon (the family got leftovers for New Year's dinner... oh well!).  It is an easy read; powerful yet simple and oh so real.  I saw my son in this man.  And I am making him read it now.  This is the kind of book I could see myself rereading every year to center myself.   Here is a New York Times article about Randy Pausch:  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/us/26pausch.html?_r=0.