"have a little faith"

I just finished reading Mitch Albom's novel, have a little faith. I must say I was a bit hesitant to give this book a chance, wary of religious cliches and overly poignant anecdotes. However, I must say I was pleasantly surprised and found the story demonstrated the universality of faith in the greater sense of the word. I would like to share a few passages which resonated with me and I believe will help inspire and enlighten anyone on a philanthropic quest. Enjoy.


"When a baby comes into the world, its hands are clenched, right? Like this?"
He made a fist.
"Why? Because a baby, not knowing any better, wants to grab everything, to say, 'The whole world is mine.'
"But when an old person dies, how does he do so? With his hands open. Why? Because he has learned the lesson."
What lesson? I asked.
He stretched open his empty fingers.
"We can take nothing with us."


I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow.
And ne'er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.

--Robert Browning Hamilton


[A conversation on redemption..]
"And maybe people who only get chances to do bad, always around bad things, like us, when they finally make something good out of it, God's happy."


"If you could pack for heaven, this was how you'd do it, touching everything, taking nothing."


"...Which is why our sages tell us to repent exactly one day before we die."
But how do you know it's the day before you die? I asked.
He raised his eyebrows.
"Exactly."


I believe many of these lessons are especially important for those of us who grapple with issues of trust and redemption. In our attempts to provide services for members of the inner-cities, homeless communities and the like, we are often faced with the question of whether our funds and efforts will provide actual solutions or rather be abused and taken advantage of. This question will always persist, however the true stories contained in this novel just might show you how to take a second look and have a little faith...