Wisdom from the Five People You Meet in Heaven (Popular Insights)
by Brandon Gilvin, Rev. Heather Godsey
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Book Summary Information
Author: Brandon Gilvin, Rev. Heather GodseyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-01
ISBN: 0827230257
Number of pages: 96
Publisher: Chalice Press
Book Reviews of Wisdom from the Five People You Meet in Heaven (Popular Insights)
Book Review: A useful and insightful guide...
Summary: 5 Stars
Heaven is a very personal place. The visions of heaven from various religious traditions tap into hopes (and fears) of people past and present, but ultimately, just as the world is different for each of us, so too must heaven be. Throughout this difference, however, is a question that is perhaps one of the more universal longings in the history of humanity - the quest to find the meaning of life, and the meaning of our lives in particular. It is this longing that Mitch Albom, best known prior to this book for his wonderful writing in `Tuesdays with Morrie'.
This book, `Wisdom from The Five People You Meet In Heaven', by Brandon Gilvin and Heather Godsey, draws upon Albom's book, elaborating in brief form some of the primary lessons Eddie, the main character, learns in his journey from earth to heaven.
The tale begins at the end, not the beginning. Of course, in life, every ending is a beginning of some sort. The end here is the end of Eddie's life - Eddie, a veteran who has gone through times of trouble and tragedy as well as times of joy and optimism, didn't have the life he wanted. Like most people, what Eddie wanted shifted over time, and even when he got what he wanted, it was somehow lacking, or disappointing; on the other hand, there were unexpected things.
Eddie got married, but as with most marriages, it didn't always live up to the dream of the initial love. However, his wife Marguerite remained the love of Eddie's life, and she was one of the five people he met in heaven. This was his closest relationship, but not the only important relationship in his life.
Perhaps drawing on the idea of six degrees of separation, there are people connected to Eddie who are companion guides in heaven that Eddie didn't even realise he was connected to. There is the Blue Man, the side-show freak at the amusement park where Eddie worked; there was the captain from his military days; there was Ruby, for whom Ruby Pier, the amusement park's location, was named; and then there is final person, one that Eddie only knew as a shadow on earth, but who has the biggest impact, and is the one whose hands offer a very touching form of salvation.
Each person has insights and lessons to share with Eddie. Sometimes they reinterpret the events of Eddie's life; sometimes they simply share their sides of the story, that give a fullness to the narrative of life. This is no easy glossing over of reality - none of the characters attempt to explain how, at the heart of it, life really is fair. Indeed, the Blue Man explains in no uncertain terms that life is not fair, stating that if it were, `no good person would ever die young.'
Gilvin and Godsey draw a lot of wisdom from Albom's work and relate it to the Wisdom tradition of biblical literature. Gilvin and Godsey found this relationship to be very appropriate, given the kinds of wisdom being imparted by the five people to Eddie in Albom's book, and the kind of practical and philosophical wisdom in combination being imparted by books such as Proverbs, Ecclesiates, Song of Solomon (Song of Songs) and Job.
As Gilvin and Godsey state, Albom's primary task in this book is not to present a description of heaven, either in a physical sense (`streets paved with gold' sort of thing) or even in a spiritual habitation sense; Albom's work is more along the lines of `The Heavenly Village' by Cynthia Rylant, in that it is more of a place or part of the journey where things on earth get put into new perspective and context. `It lies with answering ultimate questions as to why we live and what we live for,' according to the authors, which is also what the Wisdom literature tradition in the biblical texts also strive to do.
Gilvin and Godsey relate the five individuals to specific textual passages in the Wisdom literature, and develop the different themes well. This is a book good for personal enrichment and meditation, as well as for those of us who are called upon to deliver a homily now and again. For example, Eddie's relationship and encounter with his wife Marguerite relates to the Song of Solomon, both in terms of physical passion and love as well as spiritual connectedness; Eddie's relationship with his past actions are likened to Job in effective manner - the current that finally carries Eddie away is like a whirlwind, but the voice that comes is both realistic and redeeming.
Useful as a study guide for those who will devote reading group or Bible study time to the work `The Five People We Meet In Heaven', this volume offers conversation questions and suggestions for further readings. Useful for individual study as well, this is a great companion text to use for reading and meditating upon Albom's work.
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