Last night I went to a book fair for the YMCA. I have never found so many books at a fair that were exactly what I wanted. I usually end up with books that just clutter the bookshelves and children's rooms which I have determined to never do again. Only useful books from now on.
At this book sale last night, I found books that I've wanted for many years. Ones that are classics and most people just pass over them as out dated. One in particular that I was SO happy to find, and which was the cause of my sobbing just minutes ago, was Leo Buscaglia's The Fall of Freddie the Leaf. Over the years I have heard all about this book. I knew the story and heard it read, but I never actually owned a copy or read it for myself. I wanted this book as far back as high school. So I finally found it and bought it.
If you have never read The Fall of Freddie the Leaf, it is about the circle and cycles of life. It is about living with purpose and dying with peace. Buscaglia wrote it to help children handle loss, but it's one of those that applies to the human experience, not just children. It's like The Little Engine that Could or The Giving Tree or You Are Special. It strikes a chord in all of us. I love this little 27 page story. It holds a reserved spot on my recently excavated bookshelf.
If you are looking for a book to take the edge off the subject of death in a down-to-earth kind of way, this is excellent for Christians and non-believers alike.
