Katherine Rosman's Book "If You Knew Suzy"

Today I am grateful for coffee and conversation with friends. I am also grateful for some time to read this summer. I have enjoyed several good books.

One of those books is titled If You Knew Suzy, written by Katherine Rosman (copyright 2010). The book is about Rosman's mother Suzy Rosin who died of lung cancer in 2005. Rosman is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Clearly, she and her sister had a close relationship with their mom, but after Rosin's death, reporter Rosman decided to use her investigative skills and find out more about her mom. I would describe the book as part-memoir-recounting her mother's diagnosis, treatment and death-and part reporting on her findings as she connected with people her mother had connected with during her own life.

It is well worth the read. It is a reminder that we all have mulitple layers, multiple ways of connecting with others. Family is only one. We never know how intricately the web of relationships is woven into our lives. We don't always know the difference the people important in our lives have made in other people's lives. The book is complicated, but very touching and genuine. Rosman's style is candid, sometimes humorous, sometimes dead-on emotional. In other words, it was my kind of book.

One quote for today, from p. 63, after her mom had died and she had started researching into other aspects of her life, a man questioned Rosman on her approach. This is what she concluded:

"I had become less cynical and more like the sort of person who believes that if you are open to finding meaning-which is almost always an exercise in faith and almost never an exercise in certainty-you might find meaning."

I agree. Finding meaning in life is taking a leap of faith. I haven't been disappointed. Gratitude is a key way for me to find meaning in my life. Thanks Katie Rosman for a great read! More tomorrow.

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