September 2013 Read

Title: Be the Miracle

Author: Brett, Regina

Call Number: 158 B845B 2012

Subjects: Kindness; Possibility; Miracles

ISBN: 9781455500338

Book Description:

            Who doesn’t want the world to change for the better? Who doesn’t want to see a miracle? What are we waiting for? Why not be the miracle?

            That’s the challenge Regina Brett sets forth in Be the Miracle. To be a miracle doesn’t necessarily mean tackling problems across the globe. It means believing change is possible and making a difference, in your own living room, cubicle, neighborhood, or out in the world.

            Through inspirational essays such as “Do Your Best and Forget the Rest” and “Sometimes It’s Enough to Make One Person Happy,” Regina shares lessons that will help people make positive changes in the world around them. These stories come from Regina’s life experience and from the lives of others she has met in her years as journalist-from a convenience store worker who helped save a girl’s life to a young boy who helped hard scooping ice cream, but dreamed of being a surgeon. Each lesson stands alone, but together they form a handbook for seeing the miracle of change everywhere-and in everyone.--from inside book cover

My Read:

            From the beginning I am intrigued by the subtitle: 50 Lessons for Making the Impossible Possible. On day one I rummaged through the contents and mentally marked the lessons interesting me. They are Lesson 34: Watch Well Your Words. Practice Restraint of Tongue and Pen; Lesson 49: Leave a Legacy Time Can’t Erase; Lesson 44: Don’t Quit Before the Miracle Happens; Lesson 41: Make Someone Else’s Dream Come True; Lesson 40: Aim Higher; Lesson 35: No Matter What Happens, Don’t Take It Personally. Take It Spiritually; Lesson 32: Be an Original. Forge Your Own Path; Lesson 31: Carry as You Climb; Lesson 21: Dream Big; Lesson 18: Everyone Is Either Your Student or Your Teacher. Most People Are Both; Lesson 17: Give As If the World Is Your Family, Because It Is; Lesson 13: Give Birth to Yourself Every Day; Lesson 10: If You Want to See a Miracle, Be the Miracle; Lesson 6: We All Do the Same Thing. It’s How We Do Them That Makes the Difference; Lesson 3: You Can Make a Big Difference, No Matter How Little You Make.

            The first and the most lesson stand out as I leaved through the content table is lesson 34. And here is the first words the lesson begin: Before you say anything about someone, ask yourself three questions: Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary? Personally this lesson and the three questions are the most kind of lesson I am in need for I am born as a talker. Those three questions would serve me the most helpful tips when I interact with people around me.

            Lesson 9 is the most interesting one to me. After finished the lesson that night I shared what it is about with my best and close friend. “I feel like the person, Susan, in the story were me. Those things she has done in her career would be the same things I would do at work.” Here is one of the things Susan did for a customer: The Purse: Everyone’s favorite story starts with a couple from Chicago who came to the front desk frantic over a lost purse. They thought it might be at a McDonald’s restaurant somewhere between Chicago and Cleveland. Susan took it as a dare. She got out maps, traced the couple’s route, then called McDonald’s corporate headquarters and got the phone numbers of every McDonald’s along the interstate-all 30 of them. On the tenth call, she found the Fendi purse. (page 52)

            In my line of work, if one wants to be a great one, curiosity and strong will are the most needed traits one has to own. The thought, “Don’t give up too soon,” helps me to welcome challenge and find the possible ways and paths to find out what my patrons want and need.

            Be the miracle. Make the impossible possible. Life is fun and full of possibilities. Just give it a try and the rest will follow, one way or the other.