Live and learn and pass it on, volume III : people ages 7 to 92 share what they've discovered about life, love, and other good stuff

IntroductionEncouraged by my invitation in the two previous volumes of Live and Learn and Pass It On, thousands of readers have written to me to share a lesson or two about what they've learned about life. And what a pleasure it is to read them. Upon discovering an unusually perceptive observation or witty suggestion, I feel like a carpenter who has received a gift of a sharp new saw or a well-balanced hammer. We all know the pleasure of working with new tools, whether we're building a bookcase or a life.The contributors to this book are all ages and from every economic and social background. They would not consider themselves philosophers or gurus. And yet here, in a short sentence or two, they offer us worlds of wisdom.Oh, how I would like to meet each one personally—to pull up a chair at their kitchen table and linger over a cup of coffee—or maybe take them for a ride in the country in a covertible with the top down. I long to know more about them. I want to hear about their successes and setbacks, their dreams and disappointments; what they've learned to live with and what they've learned to live without.As you read these observations, you will get a glimpse now and then of lonely hearts and lost hopes. But overall, what comes through is a sense of cheerfulness, resolve, and the importance of keeping things in perspective. A forty-two-year-old father writes, “I've learned that a shoeshine box made by my eight-year-old son at Vacation Bible School is my most prized possession.” That's as powerful a statement as you will ever read about priorities and what makes life worth living.The seventeenth-century English clergyman Thomas Fuller wrote, “If you have knowledge, let others light their candle at it.” Thanks to these 302 people who have shared their “life's lessons” with me, my candle now burns with a lively flame. I invite you to light yours from mine. By holding them together, we'll light our own path as well as signal a direction for those who follow. "What has life taught you? Would you share it with me?" With these two simple questions, H. Jackson Brown, Jr. celebrates the intrinsic human need to make connections through shared insight and experiences. In this third-volume of his New York Times best-selling series, Brown offers more of the sincere wisdom and humorous observations that he has collected from people of all ages. -I've learned that a hug from my husband sends his strength into my body. - Age 39 -I've learned that when you begin to ask yourself if it's your fault, it usually is. - Age 20 -I've learned that we are judged by what we finish, not by what we start. - Age 62 -I've learned that you should never walk on ice with your hands in your pockets. - Age 12 -I've learned that there is a big difference between two cloves of garlic and two bulbs of garlic. - Age 37 -I've learned that you should never let your four-year-old brother cut your hair. - Age 11