Summer Reading

I just finished reading Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt. This book is a must-read for those who have lost a loved one. In this case, Roger's daughter, Amy, passed away in her early forties of an undetected heart problem. She left behind her husband and three small children. Roger and his wife move in with Harris and the children, serving as another set of parents---buying groceries, taking the kids to school, helping with homework, and the most beautiful and simple task, one that is reliable in a shaken-family, making toast.

The book attracted me because I am fascinated by the simplicity of the title. Roger's book is written in chapters and then divided into mini-chapters, sometimes just a few sentences long. He remembers his daughter in bits and pieces---through the children, through every day tasks, through photographs. And he honors her simply---by making toast for his young grandson.

Having a disease pushes me to be fascinated with medical tragedies and stories of loss. This book didn't disappoint and was a beautiful memorial to a mother and wife.

Here's what the book spoke to me (p. 157). At the beginning, the author is quoting another author. The second part of the quote is the author speaking:

"If there have been, at various times, trifling misunderstandings in our life, now I see how one was unable to value the passing time." As far as I can tell, this is how to live---to value the passing time.

It's easy for those of us suffering from diabetes to get caught up in the hardships of daily disease management. However, we must stop, focus, get back on the horse and back in the game, otherwise, we miss all the moments that occur in between the best moments. And those passing moments, well, they are valuable. They can be beautiful. And they are gone quickly. Let's treasure each day with purpose, never letting moments escape us even when it's not the best of times.