Different Drummer


"If a man does not keep pace with his companions,perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." ~Henry David Thoreau


Thursday, June 25, 2015

“If love is the greatest gift of all-and I believe it is- then the greatest privilege of all is to be able to love someone.” An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff

“We all want relationships that are healthy and resolved, and sometimes that simply doesn't happen. But the beauty of life is that inside these disappointments are hidden the most miraculous of blessings. What we lose and what we might have been pales against what we have.” 
Laura Schroff, An Invisible Thread

An Old Ancient Chinese Proverb
In April, we met at Ann's home to discuss An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny byLaura Schroff.  A true story, Laura was a Marketing executive in New York and one day a small boy came up to her on the street and asked her for a handout.  She told him no and walked away, stopped in the middle of the street and went back to find the young boy.  She took him to MacDonalds and had lunch with him.  This was the beginning of a life-long friendship and learning on both sides.

The book was really enjoyed by all the ladies in book club.  We all felt that we learned so much from the book.  It was inspiring, heartfelt and touching.  We discussed the cycle of poverty and drugs, and the deep chasm that alcoholism  creates in families and relationships.

“What does it mean when society says your unfit to be a mother? Are there circumstances to be factored in before that judgement is made? What if a mother is doing the best she can in the face of crushing adversity but still doesn't measure up to society's standards? When does a mother lose her right to be a mother?”  " Laura Schroff, An Invisible Thread

What we also enjoyed about the book was the fact that she didn't hide her mistakes that she made, but helped us to understand and learn from those mistakes as well.  We talked about dreams and hopes that we all have as we grow up and how life brings us challenges and mountains to climb, yet through them all we have the ability to become better people, more compassionate, more understanding and sympathetic, more kind and loving toward all.

“If you make me lunch," he said, "will you put it in a brown paper bag?...Because when I see kids come to school with their lunch in a paper bag, that means that someone cares about them. Miss Laura, can I please have my lunch in a paper bag?”Laura Schroff, An Invisible Thread




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