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Throughout my life, I've considered books to be some of my closest friends,
stange as that may seem. In moments of great distress, I have found myself
reaching for a book and opening it to a page --any page -- to start reading.
There is a magical, mystical quality to a good book. It gives you an opportunity
to listen to the author speak to you personally and share with you whatever
seems important. At the end of your reading, you may even think of the author as
a teacher, a mentor, a guide or, even more important, an old friend who shares
wisdom and insights.
When I received a copy of Dr. William Hablitzel's manuscript, Dying Was the
Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me, I decided that I was going to look
at it as soon as I got a chance. Now, you must understand that I get tons of
books from people who want me to read their manuscripts and make a comment. Much
as I'd love to, I would be spending my entire waking moments reading if I did
that. But once in a while, one in a long, long while, a certain book grabs me by
the throat and would not let me go until I decide to sit down and read it
immediately.
So it was with Bill's book. The haunting title and the urge to start reading
combined to make me put aside all my other time commitments and to start
reading. And that was the beginning of a whole new, glorious adventure. I kept
reading and could not stop until the early hours of the morning when I had
turned the last page. There was a sense of freedom and hope, coupled with a
slight sadness. The sense of freedom and hope came from what I read in the book;
the sadness was because I had come to the end and there was no more to be read.
Any author who could do that to a reader is a master of the art and science of
writing.
In his book, Bill combines his experience as a great physician and teacher
with rare wisdom and insight to create a brilliant guide for life and living.
And he does this with beautiful, yet simple, words. Many of my good friends are
physicians so I am used to their complex ways of writing way above the head of
the common person. Not so with Bill, the author, and Bill, the doctor. Somehow
the two blend into one as words of comfort, hope and mystery flow onto paper.
This book brings new meaning to the words, "dying" and
"living". The stories told here are true and came from Bill's special
experiences as a physician who has seen much and who wanted to make a difference
in his corner of the universe. There is a great temptation for me to tell you a
bit about the stories this book. But I will refrain from so doing. I do not want
to deprive you, the reader, of the pleasure of discovery as you go through the
pages. After all, I was privileged to explore and discover for myself the beauty
and wisdom, the joy and sadness, the mystery and the magic of this special book.
The late, great Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author of the classic book, On
Death and Dying, was a very close friend of mine. I was the
vice-president of the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Center for a number of years until
her retirement. Many an evening, after dinner, we would sit in her living room
and discuss the meaning of life, death and the afterlife. Sometimes those
discussions would go very late into the night and they were always exciting and
"learningful". I would never presume to say that I know exactly what
she would have thought about this book, but since I knew her so well, I cannot
help but think that she would have smiled and said, "What a wonderful Book!
It should be read by every inhabitant of this planet."
Do not only buy this book for yourself. Get a copy for someone near and dear
to you. You'll be glad you did. Keep your copy in a safe place and read it
often. Beware of lending it to others because, I assure you, the chances of
having it returned are slim. You'll want to return again and again to the
moving, true stories that are contained in, Dying Was the Best Thing that
Ever Happened to Me.
Thank you, Bill, thank you for sharing this wonderful work with all of us.
Thank you for showing us the compassionate heart of a true doctor. I must warn
you, however, that after your readers complete this volume, they will clamor for
more and you might find yourself in the middle of a sequel, which would, of
course, further the insights you've provided here. I, for one, will keep
pestering you until you sit down and write more -- hopefully, many more -- books
like this one.
John Harricharan, Award-winning author of "When You Can Walk on Water,
Take the Boat."
www.Insight2000.com
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