The Traveler's Gift

Absolutely loved The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews.  Recommended to me by a reading friend, I saved this book for the vacation drive.  So glad I did!  I was able to share the story with my husband and kids...we had a blast trying to guess who the main character, David, would meet next on his adventure.

I took some notes while reading about David, a corporate investor who suddenly finds himself middle-aged, with a sick child and no job.  We can all relate to that "panicky" feeling we parents sometimes get when we're faced with reality.  The basis of the story is that David gives in to his suicidal thoughts and allows himself to become a victim of an icy bridge.  He doesn't die, rather he journeys to 7 different locations where he meets 7 people from history who pass on 7 decisions for success.  Although I didn't care for the ending, I appreciated the wisdom shared in these lessons and applied them to my life as best I can.  Here are my notes:

Destination 1- 1945, Germany...meets President Harry S. Truman right before his infamous meeting in which he decides to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.  The lesson..."The buck stops here."

Destination 2- King Solomon's Temple...witnesses the hearing of the two women with the baby...learns to seek wisdom.

Destination 3- Gettysburg battlefield...meets Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Union Army...learns to be a person of action.

Destination 4- Sitting atop the Santa Maria with Christopher Columbus the day before he sights land...learns to have a dedicated heart.

Destination 5- Sits with Anne Frank in Amsterdam and learns to "choose to be happy."

Destination 6-  Has a long talk with President Abraham Lincoln right before he gives the Gettysburg Address...learns to forgive himself.

Destination 7-  Gabriel leads him through the hall of things that were about to be delivered (prayers) but weren't because the person stopped praying and working for them.

Won't give away the ending, but this could have ended soooo much better.  Perhaps I'm just not "getting it" like so many of my students have stated to me this week...perhaps this is what "that" feels like.  Kinda frustrating...

All in all, I liked this book...very creative story.  Mediocrity is apparantly the enemy to this author and he attempts to convince the reader (ME) to expect more from my life.  Not from God, from me.

Happy Reading!  (This makes book 79 for me!)
RC