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Parables for Life in the 21st Century by Stuart Gustafson
Friday, September 01, 2006
The format was different from other books that I have read. This book contained a collection of different stories. Each story had a short story in the beginning. Then, the author stated the moral of the story. After that, he discussed the moral of the story. In his discussion, he explained how you could apply the moral in your life.
You could read one story each day and think about the story and the moral, or you could read more than one. There was a lot of information to ponder. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
Some of my favorite stories included: Roger and the Parakeet, Thanksgiving Dinner, and Run, Billie, Run. All of the stories are excellent and have great morals and suggestions on how to apply them in your lives.
Roger and the Parakeet
The first story, Roger and the Parakeet, was quite interesting. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen to the parakeet and the meaning of the story. It was a sad story in the end, but the moral was good.
The author explained how important it is to remember the basics. You need to think about your lives and remember to get the basics of whatever you are doing. For example, in this story, Roger got things he needed for the parakeet when he bought it, except for one thing. The store clerk told Roger that the bird could sing and talk, but the parakeet wouldn't do those things. Roger kept going back to the store, and the clerk sold him different things for the bird. However, Roger forgot to buy the bird any food. That was the basic element the bird needed to survive. None of the other things would help except for the bird to enjoy.
If you forgot the basic elements in life, you would have problems. As I read this story, I thought of an incident in my own life. One day, I went to the grocery store to get the things I needed for my taco salad. I usually went to the salad bar to get the ingredients. After that, I picked up the hamburger, taco seasoning, chips, and salad dressing. However, when I returned home, I found out that I forgot the main ingredient. I forgot the lettuce. I usually bought shredded lettuce because it was easier for me to eat than the lettuce that was in the salad bar. This happened to me a couple of times. As I read the story, I could relate to Roger and forgetting the basic element he needed for the bird.
Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving Dinner was another story that I liked. It was about a young couple named Margaret and Dennis. Margaret started cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for the family. She wanted to please Dennis, so she made the ham like her mother had made it.
When Dennis walked into the kitchen, he noticed the ham had one end cut off. He wondered why Margaret had done that. She said it was because her mother had done that when she made ham. He asked her why. She did not know the answer. She just told him that her grandmother did the same thing.
When Dennis had the chance, he talked to the grandmother and found out why she had cut off the end of the ham.
The moral of this story was to know why you are doing things. The author explained that we should not do things because others had done it that way in the past.
I liked this story. I thought it was intriguing. As I read it, I wanted to find out why Margaret had cut off the end of the ham. When I finished the story, I thought it was good.
Run, Billie, Run!
Run, Billie, Run! is another good story. It was about a young boy named Billy who wanted to be on the track team. He continued to run and exercise, but the coach would not let him run. That did not stop him. He continued on running. Finally, two of the runners on the team could not run, so the coach had to let Billie run on the team. Billie won the race.
The moral of this story was to set goals for your life and then do what you can to meet those goals. According to Stuart Gustafson, you need to keep working at your goals as if you had already met them.
I liked this story. It does help to set goals for your lives. You have something you are working for in your life. For example, I always wanted to be a freelance writer. I took steps, such as correspondence writing courses, to reach my goal as a writer. You do need to set goals for your lives. Then, you will realize you have something in your life that you want to do and will strive to meet that goal. When you have reached your goal, you will realize that you have accomplished something.
I enjoyed this book and could read it again and again. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a book of morals that will help you live your life.
Written by Janet Blaylock
7:44 PM
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