My Bucket List

Title                                                                Author                                         Commentary

"The Kite Runner."                                      Khaled Hosseini                        It interested me by knowing                                                                                                                                    it was from another culture in Afganistan.

 

"The things they carried."                          Tim O' Brien                             This story is about soldiers in the vietnam war, I was interested as soon I read the brief description.

 

"The Last Lecture."                                     Randy Pausch                            This is a fascinating story                   about a college teacher who was offered to give his last lecture and as he got informed during this time he had 6 months of life left.

 

"Heaven is For Real."                                 Todd Burpo                               In this story it talks about a boy who is 4 years of age and that after having a surgery he comes back with an amazing experience of going to heaven.

 

"Embraced by the Light."                           Betty J. Eadie                             This a non-fiction book about a women who in the mist of her struggles and problems she came to be embraced by Christ.

 

“Reminants.”                                               K.A. Applegate                          A fiction story of a group of human like aliens who come to earth and try to take over.

 

 “Mocking Jay.”                                          Susan Collians                           The series following the Hunger Games, really into it…

 

“Catching Fire.”                                         Susan Collians                           Third book in the series of the Hunger Games…

 

“Trapped.”                                                   Marc Aronson                           The story of the mine workers who were trapped underground for months, and their testimonies of what it was like to live underground.

Deserving Pity

          What is pity? Pity is to feel compassion or to be moved by emotionally. In the book The Sunflower the search for pity is seen often, but is it pity what the character is looking for. More than searching for pity I believe the character is looking for peace.

          The character known as the SS Nazi Soldier as he was wounded in an attack on Jews he is left in a set up hospital to either recover or pass away;  as he knows of his condition  he requests to one of the nurses to find a Jew. Simon a Jew then is to hear the confession of this man. The soldier says in the conversation that this is what he was taught when the general/ leader to them to kill the Jews “ The Jews are causes of all our misfortunes.” (Pg. 49)  In a comparison to modern time I believe the this soldier was developed as most kids who have grown to be Muslim and desire to bring death. In my opinion this soldier deserves pity. The way we are raised and taught has a lot affect in what we do, even if we have a innocent or noble heart.

          This soldier mentions in the conversation that when he was young he liked to serve God and was loyal until he joined the Hitler Youth. He says “I cannot die… without coming clean. This must be my confession.”  (Pg. 53) Obviously he seeks peace and forgiveness to die. If he was wanting to return to being the guy who served God that’s why there was so much repentance in him. He wanted forgiveness to be able to rest in peace and with what he confesses its pretty clear why.

Returning to the Titanic

                  Captain Smith in control of the ship once said to be "Unsinkable," the Titanic. On the latest studies and analysis made of this tragic event that marked history it is said that it was Smith's fault in the moment due to the lack of attention to the ice warnings, not decreasing speed and not warning passengers of the collision. If I were to have been part of this it would take me time and thought to be able to forgive this man for his ignorance and selfishness. I guess this is when the saying "Never Trust Men," kicks in because the ship said to be great and unsinkable was proven wrong. Forgiving takes time, thought and dispostion which has to be gained by repentance.

Forgiver or Prisoner

                The act of forgiving is hard for some of us, but you don't know what forgiveness is until its all you have left. What I mean by that is that you can't live with that feeling forever. When I think of forgiveness I think of the mistakes we all make as humans and the feeling of guilt that we encounter by feeling that way. A situation where a man bombs a federal building, causing the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. Wow, that is a tough situation, especially for family members but the simple fact that we aren't God brings relief to those who live repented of their mistake. I forgive because I have been forgived for my mistakes. To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.