Mr. G recommended this book to me after he discovered it on an all-day journey back to Utah from visiting me in NYC. He finished it that day. He said it was amazing, so naturally I stole it from him at Christmas.
He was absolutely right.
I don't want to give too much away, because I really think most everyone would benefit from reading it, but Dr. Alexander's story is incredible. He contracted an rare case of bacterial meningitis which caused his brain to shut down (I'll admit, my body went a little limp when reading about the medical stuff. Bodies are gross). When it did, he traveled elsewhere. Most people call this a Near-Death Experience (NDE). His is cool to me, because he brings the science side of things into his story to help deem it more credible and give it an edge.
What I loved about his NDE, is that it helped strengthen my personal beliefs about God, our purpose, and our journey after this life. One of my favorite things he relays from his story is:
"Love is, without a doubt, the basis of everything.Not some kind of abstract, hard-to-fathom kind of love but the day-to-day kind that everybody knows--the kind of love we feel when we look at our spouse, our children, and even our animals."
I think love is such an important aspect of life (beyond being the hopeless romantic that I am) and an important lesson to learn. When it boils down to it, he is right, love is the basis of everything. God loves us and we are sent here to love each other and Him. It was a good reminder of that for me. I need to focus more on the people I love and the people around me. So, thanks, Eben Alexander, here's to living a more complete life.
No matter what your religious view are (the Dr. doesn't share mine), this book has the ability to change your perspective and life. It is worth a day of reading.
Happy Sabbath.
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