Letters to Sam: A Grandfather's Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Gifts of Life

Letters to Sam: A Grandfather's Lessons on Love, Loss, and the Gifts of Life

Daniel Gottlieb

Language: English

Pages: 176

ISBN: 1402753454

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


When his grandson was born, Daniel Gottlieb began to write a series of heartfelt letters that he hoped Sam would read later in life. He planned to cover all the important topics—dealing with your parents, handling bullies, falling in love, coping with death—and what motivated him was the fear that he might not live long enough to see Sam reach adulthood. You see, Daniel Gottlieb is a quadriplegic—the result of a near-fatal automobile accident that occurred two decades ago—and he knows enough not to take anything for granted.
Then, when Sam was only 14 months old, he was diagnosed with Pervasive Develop-mental Disability, a form of autism, and suddenly everything changed. Now the grandfather and grandson were bound by something more: a disability—and Daniel Gottlieb’s special understanding of what that means became invaluable.
This lovingly written, emotionally gripping book offers unique—and universal—insights into what it means to be human.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016 © 2006 by Daniel Gottlieb Distributed in Canada by Sterling Publishing c/o Canadian Manda Group, 165 Dufferin Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6K 3H6 Distributed in the United Kingdom by GMC Distribution Services Castle Place, 166 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, England BN7 1XU Distributed in Australia by Capricorn Link (Australia) Pty. Ltd. P.O. Box 704, Windsor, NSW 2756, Australia

quickly because problems make them feel uncomfortable or sad. It is in the nature of pain—physical or emotional—to demand our attention. It’s as though the pain is telling us there is something wrong that needs to be repaired. But that attention is like sticking your tongue in a cavity or becoming preoccupied with an emotional problem. Sometimes the attention itself just makes the pain worse. Your field of vision narrows, and you begin to think you and your problem are bigger and more important

week, she prepared and delivered meals to people with AIDS. Very soon, she came back and told me she was meeting nice people, making new friends. (That’s important for all of us, but especially for people with depression.) And the friends she was making were good people—the kind of people who cared about others. This made these new friendships even more valuable. More weeks passed, and she reported that she was beginning to care deeply about those she was helping. For the first time in years,

wasn’t available for bonding. And you didn’t understand the concept of “grandfather” when you were just a baby. So at first you kept your distance from me. But everything changed at my father’s funeral. You were just six months old when he died, but we took you to the funeral. As I sat there quietly, all you wanted to do was climb up on my lap. It was as though you sensed my pain and wanted to be close to me. And since that time, whenever we are together, all you want to do is sit on my lap. At

first, I thought you were intrigued by the wheelchair. But although that might be true, I don’t think it’s the whole story. I think at a certain level you know we are kindred spirits. You are beginning to see that I can’t do what others do. In time you will really understand how different I am from everyone else. Part of my job with you is to teach you how to tolerate your own different-ness from other people and how to navigate your own waters. As you get older, Sam, I will have more to say

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