The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture
appropriate thing to say to a friend who was about to die. He answered:
“Tell your friend that in his death, a part of you dies and goes with him.
Wherever he goes, you also go. He will not be alone.” In his email to
me, this man was reassuring: “I know you are not alone.”
I have also been moved by comments and good wishes from some
well-known people who got in touch as a result of the lecture. For
instance, TV news anchor Diane Sawyer interviewed me, and when the
cameras were off, helped me think more clearly about the touchstones I’ll
be leaving for my kids. She gave me an incredible piece of advice. I knew
I was going to leave my kids letters and videos. But she told me the
crucial thing is to tell them the specific idiosyncratic ways in which I
related to them. So I’ve been thinking a lot about that. I’ve decided to
tell each of my kids things like: “I love the way you tilted back your head
when you laughed.” I will give them specific stuff they can grasp.
And Dr. Reiss, the counselor Jai and I see, has helped me find
strategies to avoid losing myself in the stress of my periodic cancer
scans, so I’m able to focus on my family with an open heart, a positive
outlook and almost of all my attention. I had spent much of my life
doubting the effectiveness of counseling. Now, with my back against
the wall, I see how hugely helpful it can be. I wish I could travel
through oncology wards telling this to patients who are trying to tough
it out on their own.
Many, many people have written to me about matters of faith. I’ve so
appreciated their comments and their prayers.
I was raised by parents who believed that faith was something very
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