Make a Choice

I just finished reading Make a Choice by Jeff Benedict and I found it to be really thought-provoking. This book consists of seven true stories of people who have faced tragic, heart-wrenching experiences and found amazing outlooks on life to get them through their challenges. As the cover says, When we are at the intersection of happiness and despair, we have the power to make a choice.

Benedict begins his book perfectly with a quote from Old Yeller, which he had been reading to his daughter. After Travis goes through the awful ordeal of having to put down Old Yeller, his dad gives him this wise counsel: "It's not a thing you can forget. I don't guess it's a thing you ought to forget. What I mean is, things like that happen. They may seem mighty cruel and unfair, but that's how life is part of the time. But that isn't the only way life is. A part of the time, it's mighty good. And a man can't afford to waste all the good part, worrying about the bad parts."

Commenting on this quote and other tragedies in the world, Benedict makes the point that we never "get over" these things. But we can get through them (his emphasis, not mine). He then goes on to share the stories of people he personally knows and how they got through their difficult experiences (or, for some, are still getting through them).

This book made me grateful for my life, which has been very easy compared to the lives of the people mentioned in this book. Although my challenges are not nearly as great, this book provided me with great insights on how to deal with my challenges, and still choose to keep an optimistic, hopeful attitude throughout my life, no matter what comes my way.