GROUP GUIDANCE 2

Summer AY 2015- 2016

Tuesdays with Morrie

Submitted by:

Denise Marie Gonzaga Ongteco

Submitted to:

Ms. Aileen B. Decena

1 As I read the story entitled Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, I have found the true
value of life. God doesn't give you the people you want, instead He gives you the people you
need. To teach you, to hurt you, to love you, and make you exactly the way you should be. And
thats what happened in the story. It is a very powerful story that Morrie had a great impact on
Mitchs life. He is not just only a teacher that goes to his class and leaves the classroom. As an
educator, Morrie is in a position to advocate for and fight for what is best for his student. He is
more than just a teacher. He is able to take a student who possibly knows very little about his/her
interests, and then help them discover and explore those interests. He makes them try things they
think they cant do, work harder than they want to and accomplish more than they thought
possible and whenever they do their best, Morrie makes them feel proud, capable and worthy. He
also makes them understand that the quality of their life will be determined by their choices, and
he makes them take responsibility for their actions. Tuesdays with Morrie is a life-changing,
inspiring book about how we should value the precious time we have. It is also about the lessons
about being human: dying, living, and being open to yourself and others; this never get old. The
Henry Adams quote, A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops, is
true. Morrie lives on. The story which Morrie had done to his students especially on Mitch keeps
breaking me down, layer by layer. The story was engaging and interesting, many emotions come
out while reading it. I felt happy and amused while getting to know Morrie and sad when he
died. Morries illness and death gives Mitch a perspective that directly changes his life. There
was a lot of focus on character development for both Mitch and Morrie. While the ending was
sad, it was satisfying and rounded out the story nicely. Every story has an end, but in life every
ending is just a new beginning.
2 The major characters in the story are Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz. Mitch Albom is a
middle-aged man and a sports writer who gave up his dream of becoming a musician for a life of
money, success and materialism. Since his college graduation he has become very disillusioned
and devoted his life to money and success. He works most days and nights dedicating little time
to himself or his wife. Morrie Schwartz Morrie is diagnosed which a disease called "ALS" which
freezes his neurological system causing him to become paralyzed. This disease guarantees death,
but Morrie looks at it a unique way were he shares his beliefs with Albom every Tuesday. He is a
sweet old man and has a passion for dancing and music, and is quick to cry, especially since the
onset of his disease. He does not suffocate his emotions, but shares them openly, and rejects the
popular cultural norms in favor of creating his own system of beliefs.
3. Out of the 14 Tuesdays, my favorite is the 5th Tuesday and it is about family. Morrie
emphasizes the importance of love, especially love from a family. Because love is the great
commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family. He
says, Without love, we are birds with broken wings. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts
in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families. Family is normally the
place where love is expressed. Love is the close personal blending of physical and mental
togetherness. It includes privacy, intimacy, sharing, belonging, and caring. The atmosphere of
real love is one of honesty, understanding, patience, and forgiveness. Such love does not happen
automatically; it requires constant daily effort by each family member. Loving families share

activities and express a great deal of gratitude for one another. Love takes time, affection, and a
positive attitude. Our family members are the ones to be there every day be it in happiness or
sadness. Home is a place like heaven, family members are like angels who protect and bless one
another for their good. So love your family members and rejoice every family bond with full of
love.
4. Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do this quote has taught me to
stay true to what I am. I wont struggle to be someone I can never be. Being who I am is more
important than being who others expect me to be. I have much more to offer by being just myself
than walking around in someone else's shoes. Trying to live the life of another is a mistake, It is a
masquerade; nothing more than a fake. Be yourself and let your qualities show through others
will love you more for being just you. Remember that God loves you just as you are to Him you
are already a bright shining star. Family and friends will love you more too. I will put my effort
in to what I am capable of. Everyone has their own unique abilities that determine their
potential.
5 The Teacher who had influenced me the way Morrie influenced his student Mitch is my
Mother. My mother is not literally a teacher but she is more likely having influenced me. She is
the one who always supports me no matter what decisions I make but also makes a negative
comment on it because she thinks that it is not right decision. Which is sometimes she is right
about it. The only person, who has stood by me through all lifes storms and bad weather, is none
other than her. She is always there waiting up and worrying, for the lectures and the endless
concerns. She is always there also encouraging me, believing in me and for letting me know that
she never expected more than the best I could do. She teaches me to be honest, courteous,
appreciative and loving. She teaches me to try to see the best in people, to be diplomatic in the
face of conflict, and when I had no choice but to fight, to fight fair. I remember when I was in
my heartbreaks she lets me cry on her bed when boys did not treat me well. She always said the
right things and made me laugh with stories about the boys she dated in high school and college.
My mother always takes my side when it came to relationships and threatening any guy who
posed a threat to my heart. Life has been difficult and there have been times when I've felt like
giving up, when things were not going my way. Each time, she was there to remind me of my
worth as a human being. She encouraged me to keep reaching for the unreachable and never
settle for anything less than I deserved. No matter how bizarre my dreams were. She always told
me to go after what would make me happy. She had sacrifice her personal time after her long
days at work to talk me through my problems when no one else cared, to support me financially
through college, she have always been there. She has sacrificed so much in order to give me a
better life than she had when she was a kid. Perhaps it is easier for me to take my frustrations out
on her than anyone else in this world because she loves me limitlessly and unconditionally. There
were times when I was a total brat to her; I was rude, selfish and unkind. Still, she loved me
anyway, and for that, I am forever grateful. As I get older, I realize more and more how much she
have done for me and continue to do every day.
6 Tuesdays with Morrie reminds us that we need to stop and remember what is important in life.
We are never promised tomorrow will ever come so we need to stop and make the most of this
life. Morrie has many life lessons, these life lessons really make me stop, think and considering.
Life is about who you love and who you hurt. It's about how you feel about yourself. It's about

trust, happiness, and compassion. Life is about avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance, and
building confidence. It's about what you say and what you mean. It's about seeing people for who
they are and not what they have. Most of all, it is about choosing to use your life to touch
someone else's in a way that could never have been achieved otherwise.Life isn't about finding
yourself. It is about creating you. God never promised a happy and easy life but he did promise
that you can bring a beautiful change to it by your consistent efforts. Life is beautiful but there
are some terms and conditions attached with it. It is a journey and not a destination, so make sure
that you enjoy every moment to its optimum levels so that there are no regrets later. Every life
has a purpose and discovering that purpose should be the goal of life because that is the gift of
God. Somewhere along the course of life, you learn about yourself and realize there should never
be regrets, only a lifelong appreciation of the choices you've made. Morrie teaches us to love one
another and that everything in life is temporary, because everything changes. That's why it takes
also great courage to love, knowing it might end anytime but having the faith it will last forever.
Morrie also teaches us how to live with no regrets and how not to be afraid of dying. He helps us
remember that we are not going to live forever. So be young, think smart, stay true and just
follow your heart. The story made me realize that there are no mistakes in life, only lessons. The
greatest risk in life is not taking one. Tomorrow is a blank page, just waiting to be filled with my
dreams. In this story I have learned that all you have to do is be yourself and live the story of
your own unique life. Be proud. Be confident. Be thankful for hard times in life and try not to
look at them as bad things, but as opportunities to grow and learn. And most of all be happy.