UNBROKEN

Unbroken - A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand - Wow. Louie Zamperini. This is an incredible American biography. This story is an inspiration to all those who think it's not possible. He proves that just about anything in life is possible, that miracles can happen, and that a human being can withstand untold pain and suffering. It starts out as a running story and ends up being a story of survival and what happens afterward. It's so well written that you'll forget you're reading a book and that someone actually wrote it. Laura Hillenbrand has a way of taking the author out of the story and letting the story wash over the reader. Impeccable.

My dad was in World War II as a naval officer, and he would never talk about the war. We have a log that he kept as the ship's navigator, but maybe it's a personal log; it's very on point, and there are no stories in it. (I think. I am going to have to track it down and read it from cover to cover). World War II was another one his well-kept secrets. What a strong man he must have been to have kept all the secrets that he kept, and just go about his life, living, working, saving, reading (he was a voracious reader and would have LOVED Unbroken) enjoying his friends, taking care of his family, and avoiding controversy of any kind. He loved tv and movies, and had very few possessions. What he did have was neatly stored and taken care of. I have the dictionary he won in the sixth grade as the school champion in the Detroit News Spelling Bee. He also had his high school report cards and used to show them to me. He treasured a little Brownie statue that I painted in 1st grade, and I have that in my china cabinet....more valuable to me now than the other stuff. He rarely lost his temper and was a pretty quiet guy. We'd ask him what he wanted for his birthday or Christmas, and he'd say "I just want you to be good, honey". And later he'd say "I just want you to be happy". Now it's the same thing I say to Peter, and he doesn't get it either. Yet. I hope that someday Peter says the same thing to his child, and that child someday reads this blog and sees that happy and good can make for a life worth living.

Laura Hillenbrand also wrote Seabiscuit which was recommended to me over and over again, and although my Uncle Peter used to own a race horse or two and we used to spend a lot of time at the track, I never wanted to read it because the name sounded funny (doesn't resonate with me somehow) and I didn't think a story about a horse could be so long and still interesting. I didn't see the movie, either. Now that I've read Unbroken, I cannot wait to read Seabiscuit and to see the movie. I'm sure that I'm in for the best.

It's January 2, 2012, and on January 1st we made progress here. Peter helped organize and purge some of his clothes, and then we worked on the school supply cabinet in the basement. He's so like my dad. Just wants what he needs and nothing else. A hard worker and a minimalist. It was a good start to the new year, and I hope that we can keep the momentum going today.