Matters of Faith

Title : Matters of Faith
Author : Kristy Kiernan
Publisher: Berkley Books

What do you do when you witness a friend dying before your eyes? How do you live with a sibling whose life is threatened by severe allergy? And what awaits you when you fall in love with a believer who makes you ponder your faith?

A boy began his search for faith - his parents little time for spiritual contemplation. Will their faith function and find redemption?

You gotta have faith – so sang George Michael many years. Yes, I’ve got faith – but not necessarily religion. Which explains why this book speaks to me to some extent.

Read it and ponder over matters of your own faith and the need to believe.

Letters to Sam

Title: Letters to Sam
Author: Daniel Gottlieb
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co

Letters to Sam from a special grandfather. With wisdom and great love, Pop shared and prepared lessons on life for his Sam. Gently but surely, with life’s many truths, the letters would move you and lodge themselves in your heart.

This book strikes many a cord within me. Brought back memories of my own grandpa who showed me his world during the first decade of my life. And other people’s grandpas who have also been part of my life. Grandpa from Switzerland who wrote me wonderful letters and shared his adventures of Europe. My wise Jewish Grandpa whom in three weeks shared lessons of history which opened my mind’s eyes.

A beloved friend presented me with this book. Someone who has helped me develop courage, reminded me of hope and the need to be steadfast in faith. Someone who let me learn that it is perfectly fine to be different and special. Someone who is both like Pop and Sam.

I hope everyone who read this book will find and treasure the Pop and Sam in their lives.

Departures

Departures. A wonderful movie.

A young musician loses his job and returns to the home of his youth. He has to give up his treasured instrument. He stumbles into a job handling departures. Of bodies and souls.

The taboo subject of death intersperes with moments of living. The "untouchable" job becomes a commitment to provide a dignified, gentle and kind sending off of family, friends and strangers. A final goodbye turns into an opportunity for forgiveness and redemption.

A movie that will make you smile, draw your tears and softly but surely touch your heart.

Not to be missed.

Two Devastating Movie Endings...No Happily Ever After

I watched two movies with riveting endings. In fact one might say they were devastating.

The first was "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" based on a book by Irish novelist John Boyne. It is about a special friendship between two boys and their perspective experience of the Holocaust.

"Suspect X" is also about a special friendship. Based on a book by 東野 圭吾 Keigo Higashino , one of my favorite Japanese authors, its touches on a tragic love affair that never quite got started, but ends immediately in tragedy. Perhaps the movie producers should have kept the original title of the book for the movie version " (容疑者Xの献身). It would have been so much more appropriate. For it is a story about sacrifice.

In fact both books and movies revolved around sacrifices.

In "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas", the Jews were sacrificed in the name of evil. In "Suspect X", a mathematical genius sacrificed himself.

Tragically, both sacrifices were in vain.

The Gaudi Key & 神谕之谜

Title : Le Testament des siècles 神谕之谜
Author : Henri Loevenbruck
Publisher: Global Group Holdings

Title: The Gaudi Key
Authors: Esteban Martin, Andreu Carranza
Publisher: William Morrow

I read both these books around the same time recently. Both translated copies – the former from French to Mandarin, the latter from Spanish to English.

There was an interesting co-incidental element in both. Not because they were both about conspiracy theories along the style of the Da Vinci Code. Or that they involved secret societies. But that they both somehow touched upon the foundation stone of the Christian faith.

In The Gaudi Key’s, we were led into an alternative interpretation to the architecture masterpieces of Gaudi, was guided by clues to find that the rock on which the cathodic church was built upon was a real physical piece of stone. Almost as “astounding” as the premise of the Da Vinci code.

As for Le Testament Des Siecles, the stone became a code to the divine message from Christ. Decoded and re-hidden by none other than Leonardo himself in the Mona Lisa. In other words, another Da Vinci code.

I have read enough fiction to know that the premise of such books is meant for entertainment only. The message from the author, however, is something I feel is worth some pondering upon:

En to kosmo esmen monoi pantaxou tes ges

In the universe, we are alone

And that is why, we must love each other.