EDITOR IN CHIEFJoan Herrmann—ASSOCIATE EDITORLindsay Pearson—CREATIVE DIRECTORMatt Herrmann—GRAPHIC DESIGNERSChris GiordanoAndrea ValentieOliver Pane—CONTRIBUTORSRick Hanson, PhDRena GreenbergGayle M. GruenbergJoan HerrmannLinda Mitchell, CPC
FROM THE EDITOR—As we travel through the journey of life,we may stumble upon a person who changesthe trajectory of where we thought we wereheading. Sometimes the change is a minorreroute, but other times it re-charts ourdirection. For Mitch Albom that person wasMorrie Schwartz.Mitch was a successful and ambitioussportswriter who wrote for newspapers,appeared on ESPN television, and did radio.He often worked 90 plus hours per weekclimbing the proverbial ladder. One day whileflipping through television channels, he caughtthe Nightline program and on the screen saw athin, sickly, white haired version of his collegeprofessor – Morrie Schwartz - with whom hehad been very close, but hadn’t seen in years.He learned through the program that Morriewas dying from Lou Gehrig’s Disease.Feeling guilty about not staying in touch,he decided to call his professor. At the endof the conversation Morrie asked him to visitand he agreed, thinking it would be a oneand done meeting. But the visit made suchan impression on Mitch that he decided toreturn weekly on Tuesdays. From those visitshe gained insight about what was important inlife from a man who was dying. According toMitch, their rekindled relationship turned intoone final class: lessons in how to live.“Everything that he felt was importantwere things that I was not valuing in my life,”said Mitch. “And so from that point forward Istarted turning things around.”One of the biggest lessons that had aprofound impact on Mitch was the importanceof giving. He recalled times people visitedMorrie with the intention of cheering him up,but before long, the tables were turned andMorrie would be holding their hand tryingto help them with whatever challenges theyfaced.Divorce, love life, work issues, he helpedthem all. After witnessing this time and timeagain, Mitch finally asked why he didn’t taketheir sympathy. Why did he give them morethan they gave him? To this Morrie replied:“Mitch, taking like that just makes me feel likeI’m dying. Giving makes me feel like I’m living.”Hearing those words, I realized that if whatmade a man who had weeks left on this earthfeel the most alive was giving, then that had tobe true for those of us in our younger, healthieryears, said Mitch. “I started my first charitythat year and have been deeper and deeperinto that world ever since.”Today, Mitch has multiple charitableoperations in the Detroit area committed to“lifting our neediest when they stumble.” Healso operates an orphanage in Haiti, which hevisits monthly. He noted that he sleeps betteron the orphanage’s four-inch mattress than hedoes anywhere else in the world.Mitch’s advice to find contentment? Findsomeone who needs your help and you’ll beamazed at how good you’ll feel about yourdays.Listen to my conversation with Mitch:www.cyacyl.com/shows/mitch-albom— Joan Herrmann