The Last Lecture

I agree with Larry that Randy Pausch handled himself with dignity and courage and left his family, especially his children, with powerful, positive guidelines for living their lives. Not an easy accomplishment for living parents. It is obvious that he was a brilliant, vital person, and a long discussion could ensue regarding why "bad things happen to good people." Or, a long discussion could be had about how nobly Randy lived his last days. But, I find myself thinking instead of various death scenarios, which I don't even want to get into here. One of the most intriguing discussions I had though was with Craig describing the conversation he had with Larry about being in situations in Vietnam where Larry knew he "could" die and in a particular situation where he was "certain he was going to die." Evidently, in the situation where Larry really thought he was about to die, he felt a sense of peace and found himself on the chicken coop roof in Indiana with Craig when they were about 5 and 6 years old. If you haven't heard that story, it's definitely worth getting Larry into a story-telling mood. Anyway, the book is inspiring, and thought-and-discussion-provoking. It's too bad we can't discuss this one in person. --Jennifer