The Last Lecture

I'm sure you've heard of it by now. Especially since it's been in the news that the author just died. I borrowed this book from my sister and finally got around to reading it this week. It's not any great work of literature, but it chronicles an interesting life and the lessons the author learned along the way.

Randy Pausch was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, but was determined to spend the last few months of his life really living. And leaving a legacy for his children. I think that's the part that got to me the most; the fact that he was making arrangements for his family to go on without him. So the book chronicles his life so that his kids will know about him as they get older and he's no longer there. He had a very interesting life and accomplished virtually all of his childhood dreams. He wanted to be Captain Kirk on Star Trek, he wanted to work as a Disney Imagineer, he wanted to be a teacher, among other things.

His three children are too young to understand that he is going to die, so he doesn't tell them. Instead, he spent every moment making memories with his kids. Some of them were big ones so that they were sure to remember it when they got older (he took his 6 year old to go swimming with dolphins--by his account, swimming with dolphins is something you don't forget). Another thing that got to me was that in every experience he was having with his children, he was saying good-bye, but they were unaware.

He also spent some time talking to children who had lost one of their parents when they were younger. He wanted to know what some of the most special memories or keepsakes were from their parent. Randy learned that the thing these kids who grew up without a parent most loved, was hearing about how they interacted with their parent before he/she died. They liked knowing that they had a relationship. So Randy started keeping a record of all of the things that he liked about his kids and all of the things that he enjoyed doing with them.

On that note, here are a few of the things that I like about my two kids.

Caeden--I like the sound of him sucking his thumb--it sounds kind of plastic-y. I love the way he is so interested in books. I like that he says, "Mommy, look at this!" whenever he is doing something new or entertaining (like balancing with one foot, or jumping as high as he can). I like watching him water the plants because he enjoys holding the hose so much. I love the way he talks, "Mommy, a rick (drink) a pees (please)." I like the smell of his favorite stuffed animal, B, because it smells just like him. I like the way he grabs his sister's head and plants a kiss right on the top of it, leaving a little wet mark.

Avery--I like the way that she takes your head in both of her hands and smashes her little face against yours. I like that she laughs so hard when you tickle her little leg rolls. I love that when she pulls herself up and is able to stand on her own, she gets so excited that she falls down. I love the way she jumps as hard as she can in her exersaucer. I love the way her puffs get stuck on her face without her even knowing it. I like the way she opens her mouth, just like a baby bird, when there is a spoon full of oatmeal coming her way. I love how when she sees you in the room, she abandons whatever she was doing to crawl over anything that is in her way so that she can be close to you.