A Reading Vocation

Two new books in one day. Lucky me!

This is another from Bookmooch, and honestly, I don't remember how I learned about this book. I have a vague sense that maybe I came across it while I was working at the library in my home town, perhaps saw it in an email promotion. I know I found out about it while I was engaged, and hungry for stories about lasting love, so that I could imagine such a path for myself, believe that it was possible to have it come true in real life, not in the romanticized, solve-your-conflicts in two-hours Hollywood way, or the non-specific, full-of-platitudes pop music way. Being engaged is what really drove me toward non-fiction for that reason -- I needed to know what was possible for real, not what our culture's ideals are.

So although I don't know where I first came across this book, I love the mission of Storycorps, and the short story on the back cover already brings tears to my eyes:

Leroy A. Morgan, 85, remembers his late wife, Vivian:

"My wife and I were in Philadelphia, and we saw a sign that said SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE. I will never forget it: It had six points to always say to your wife or husband and the first one was YOU LOOK GREAT. The second one was CAN I HELP? The third one: LET'S EAT OUT. The fourth one was I WAS WRONG. And the fifth one was I AM SORRY. But the last and most important one was I LOVE YOU. That was it. There were six statements, and it said if you follow that, you'll have a successful marriage. So we followed it, and we did have a successful marriage.

 

"It lasted fifty-three years, two months, and five days. It's been rough, but every morning when I wake up she's included in my prayers, and I talk to her every night when I go to bed. She was something. One thing: If they ever let me in those pearly gates, I'm going to walk all over God's heaven until I find that girl. And the first thing I'm going to do is ask her if she would marry me, and do it all over again."