Book: Breakfast at Sally's

 Breakfast at Sally's Richard LeMieux, 2008 Skyhorse Publishing

At a time when so many businesses are failing, and so many homes are being repossessed, this book offers a clear view of how that feels. Sounds depressing, doesn't it? And it is. But it is also a book about hope. And sharing. Unconditional love. Compassion. So it is also uplifting, inspiring. There are moments when it sucks the breath right out of your lungs and others when it fills them with the pure fresh air of love.
Very often, I think we forget to be thankful for what we have.We take it for granted or we focus on what is wrong instead of what is right. What you focus on thrives. So if you are focused on your troubles, they flourish. Even when it seems like everything has gone wrong, there has to be something you can appreciate. Find it! If there are holes in your shoes, be thankful you aren't barefooted. If you are barefooted, be thankful you still have feet.
When I was 7 or 8, my father had a friend who had no arms. He made double use of his legs, driving a customized car, opening doors, writing (legibly, amazingly enough!), even playing cards. He said maybe he had no arms, but his shoulders were broad enough to carry a friend when needed. He carried my father for a time, while Dad adapted to the diagnosis of terminal cancer and 2 years to live.
He taught my Dad how to focus on the good things, how to laugh inspite of the pain, how to Live the time he had left. It took a while, but it gradually seeped past the coping mechinisms Dad had in place (alcohol, self pity, and most devastating, a belief that the doctors could predict when he would die.) Somehow, Dad managed to live 22 years instead of 2, with a lot of humor and determination along the way. Eventually he quit drinking, smoking (he'd smoked for 40 years when he quit!)and most important, quit believing the doctors were gods. He never lost respect for the doctors, and had some fantastic docs at the V.A. throughout his life. Every time a new disease who pop up, he'd say "I don't care, I'm living a life here!" He always took time to stop and appreciate the beauty of nature, to find a rainbow in the storm, and to help someone who needed a hand. And he never stopped laughing.

In Breakfast at Sally's, LeMieux introduces us to a host of people with heavy burdens and shoulders still strong enough to carry a friend in need, with hearts big enough to love the friend and their flaws, and with empty wallets full enough to pass on a buck or two to someone in need.

This is one of those books that I wish I could place into the hands of every person on earth. This story needs to be heard and it gives back much, much more than it takes. Breakfast at Sally's. Check it out.