The Last Lecture

Another book in which we learn about life and a few good lessons, this time by a dying man.  The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, a faculty member of Carnegie Mellon.  The concept of the Last Lecture, for those who don’t know, is a program that is offered on many college campuses by offering members of the faculty to come to a res hall, a dining hall, or even a classroom auditorium and choose a subject of their choice and give a one hour lecture and present as if it is their last.  Well, this is his last lecture as the 47 year old Pausch has been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and wants to fulfill the request he received prior to the last diagnosis, to present his “last lecture.” If you haven’t seen some of the video, Oprah has a reprisal of the lecture… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BODHsU3hDo4.  The book is the background and shares many of the lessons from the actual speech.  We travel through the lessons learned and shared by his parents, coaches, teachers on his journey, and those he has learned from his students and three young children.  What a wonderful gift to provide a book of what you want to have your children value and learn, and written by your father.  What a beautiful gift that Randy Pausch gave to his kids.  The main messages are don’t take life so seriously, live every moment, teach others something, and love… and all of these lessons come through clearly and emotionally.  Sixty lessons shared and worth the read.  You may shed a tear or two as you go through the pain and despair most of us would feel, but from Pausch he isn’t only realistic, he is positive.  What a role model he has played for those with any terminal disease.  This is a short read, profound, yet simple.  Who says you need a long book to impact us… reminds me of Tuesday’s with Morrie but the focus is not Mitch Albom (the author of that book), but his children... and yes I understood the “head fake” Randy.  We all need to!  Your impact is still felt today, no doubt!