The Little Things

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In “The Little Thing”, Andrews shares a number of short stories reminds me of Paul Harvey’s old radio series “The Rest of the Story,” where’s there’s more to a story than what we know from its most obvious facts. It’s very well written plot. The chapters alternate between Vivian and Rachel’s points of view, giving us an insight of their relationship as well as their past and present. But I peaced out HARD around chapter 3, when he makes a valid point about not taking offense about things, and being able to control your own behavior regardless of your own emotions. Yes, that's good advice and I agree. Imagine as a mother, repeating that again and again whenever something strange happens around your child or when your child behaves in an unexpected manner.

In all Claire Keegan’s stories, there is a family. The protagonist changes – the father, the mother, a son or daughter. But this figure never stands very far out in front. Instead, the narrative gains its emotional resonance from the dynamics between characters. Within these families there is cruelty and violence, as well as deep springs of affection. There is much left unspoken. “You have nothing to say to your mother. If you started, you would say the wrong things and you wouldn’t want it to end that way,” we learn of the protagonist in The Parting Gift, from Keegan’s second collection, Walk the Blue Fields (2007). In The Ginger Rogers Sermon, from her first, Antarctica (1999), the protagonist describes the trivial secrets they all keep from one another: “That’s the way it is in our house, everybody knowing things but pretending they don’t.” Proof trumps uncertainty. Proof leads. We might question motives. We often question conclusions. We question methods and timing. But we do not question proof. (c) He writes that a person cannot achieve beyond what they really believe to be the truth about themselves. ‏‏What a person really believes is so powerful that their belief actually controls their behavior. He tells us that we should spend less time setting goals to satisfy the expectations of other people and use more time to concentrate fully upon legitimately increasing the level of what we really and truly believe is possible. And he tells us that this can only be done by aligning ourselves on a course to pursue the life that God has identified for us as the very best.To my friends; get this book please? To one never met; it might just be you that God wants to read/hear this. In my opinion, Andy Andrews is one of the most remarkable people alive. His ability to focus on a few things that are truly important in life, and to relate them simply and memorably is a true gift. as a percentage of our world’s population, there are not many extraordinary achievers. That’s why extraordinary achievers are considered to be different. Their financial situations are different from those of the average person. They possess different levels of influence. They live different lives.

Andy points out that we largely choose our own moods and feelings. In other words, we can be our own worst enemy or our own best friend when it comes to our attitude. "The damage [a nurtured offense] causes -- immediately and over time -- is far, far greater than its initial size would lead you to believe." (p.22) I read it and fell in love. Fell in love with the story, the messages, the author, all of it. A few months later I was on a work trip in Gulf shores, Alabama and stopped in a coffee shop. Apparently Andy had just been there doing a book signing. I had just missed him, but there were plenty left. So I dropped a pretty penny in there and bought signed copies of all of his books. Except for this one! I loved the first person narration as that really gets you inside a character's head and boy what a character this Vivian was: This book is about the little things - literally. For the seemingly insignificant things that can change the overall picture. The book covers a wide range of thoughts, including chapters that will bring peace to your family, and some, when you harness what they teach, can make you a lot of money or turn your team into a winner.Assuming you read it or listen to it, which I would encourage because I love listening and talking with a close friend, doesn't that call into question this problem?;...