Month of August: The Five People You Meet In Heaven

Discussion Director- Ian Kith Parcon

          The discussion director started by saying that the book we had read revolves on our perception about heaven, death and the people around us. He then enumerated the questions to be discoursed.

The questions are the following: (1) Do you believe that all lives are connected? (2) Do you agree with Albom’s concept about heaven? (3) Considering all his life’s melancholies, did Eddie live a meaningful and worthful life? (4) What were the five people, who Eddie met in heaven, taught/relate to him? (5) If you were Eddie, what kind of “heaven” will you choose to live eternally? (6) On the other hand, what was your reaction when the author chose Philippines as one of the settings in the story?

The group agreed that each member will be given one question to answer. Alex supported his answer on the question #1 by quoting the adage, “No man is an island.” He believed that each one of us do not live by ourselves, the very reason why God gave us family and friends to be with. He believed that one influences the other, in all matters, and through that they learn all notable life lessons to be a better individual.

On question No. 2, Beverly said that no one saw heaven. And so, Albom’s concept about what is heaven could be true or not. But what really counts is that, heaven is a place where agony exists no more. It is a place where we find rest and compassion with the persons we love. Above all, it is the place where we meet the One who created us.

Monlouie manifested that Eddie didn’t die with a wasted life. In fact, all his blues in life marked his outlets of strength and inspiration. At many times, he doubted the “worth” of his existence until he met his Fifth person whom let him realized that his stay in Ruby Pier kept all the children happy and safe, and that’s the reason of his existence.

On question No. 5, Jaydee shared his point of view about the five people Eddie met in heaven. The Blue Man taught that all things happen for a reason, that all lives are connected. Captain explained the value of sacrifice. Each of us came to a point that we must sacrifice for others’ welfare. Ruby showed loyalty and forgiveness. Marguerite, his wife, revealed that life may end but love doesn’t. It never ceases. Lastly, Tala, the young Filipina girl whom he burned to death, explained Eddie’s life purpose.

Lastly, Grace was fascinated when Philippines was mentioned in the book. It was relatable that the setting was during the World War II on the occupation of America and Japan on the country. On the last part of the book, she was really touched when a young girl named Tala played an important role which changed and influenced the character.

Vocabulary Enhancer- Monlouie Sorzano

1. Shingles- (noun) a disease that causes pain and red marks on your skin along the path of a nerve.

“A doctor, last week, told him he had shingles.”

2. Cacophony- (noun) unpleasant loud sounds.

“It mixed in his head now with the cacophony of the crashing waves and children screaming on the rides.”

3. Ballyhoo- (noun) talk or writing that is designed to get people excited or interested in something.

“A barker would ballyhoo the oddity, and it was a barker’s voice that Eddie heard now.”

4. Shrapnel- (noun) small metal pieces that scatter outwards from an exploding bomb, shell, or mine.

“…lest he hit a tree and wound himself with deflected shrapnel.”

5. Tourniquet- (noun) a bandage, strip of cloth, etc. that is tied tightly around an injured arm or leg to stop or slow the bleeding from a wound.

“… as Morton tied a tourniquet above his knee.”

6. Flume- (noun) a ravine or gorge with a stream running through it

“An explosion of smoke engulfed him, swallowing his body in a flume of colors.”

7. Veneer- (noun) a thin layer of wood or other material that is attached to the surface of something in order to make it look better

“And on occassion, as if to feed the weakest embers of a fire, Eddie's father let a wrinkle of pride crack the veneer of his disinterest.

8. Semaphore- (noun) a system used for sending signals by using two flags that are held in your hands

“Unbeknownst to him, he had begun the ritual of semaphore with his father, forsaking words or physical affection.”

9. Stupor- (noun) a condition in which someone is not able to think normally because of being drunk, drugged, tired, etc.

“There was nothing heroic about a drunken stupor by the beach.”

10. Lanky- (adjective) tall and thin with usually an awkward quality

“The bride, young and pretty, was in the center of the group, removing a pin from her butter-colored hair. The groom was lanky.”

Connector- Hazel Lorraine Solis

          

          Hazel connected the story by the film she watched entitled “Heaven is For Real”. Just like Eddie, a young little boy went to heaven while he was in coma. He saw heaven and all the things found in it. In addition, he saw his father’s grandfather and his unborn older sister and talked with them. When he woke up, he started to tell his father about these unbelievable things. If we weigh, they are of total opposite; one is living and one is dead. But what Hazel perceived is that, they both experienced heaven. Each one of us has our own concept of heaven. It could be a world of fantasy, a place where we can praise our God or simply, the feeling where we feel safe and total harmony.

          On the other hand, Charlie St. Cloud has the same experience with Eddie. They are both living a life full of questions. They don’t know the reason of their existence. Eddie was preoccupied with his past while Charlie keeps on asking why his brother died instead of him. Yet at the end, they found the answers to their questions. They learned the value of sacrifice and that all things happen for reason. Eddie realized that his mission was to keep the children is the Ruby Pier safe while Charlie deemed that he was preserved to make a better leap, and that is to change his life.

The book “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” is a story featured a story of a man who faced death and went to heaven where he met five people who in one way or another will change his perception about life. It is an inspiring story that reminds us to ask ourselves what have we done while dwelling here on earth. Have we been selfish or we lived a life for others?

Passage Picker- Alexander Grande

          Alex picked few of the lines and quotations that captivated him. Most of these lines were taken from the lessons which Eddie learned from the Five People he met in heaven.

1. “It might seem strange to start a story with an ending. But all endings are also beginning. We just don’t know it at the time” – Narrator

It suggests that some things might end but it bears another beginning for others. Just like Eddie, his death brought him realizations what was his life meant for.

2. “Strangers… are just family you have yet to come to know.” – The Blue Man

Sometimes, we enclose ourselves to other people without knowing that they are the ones who can retrieve and change us. Since friendships starts from “knowing”, we must never enclose ourselves to a person.

3. "I took your leg… to save your life." – Captain

4. “Sacrifice. You made one. I made one. We all make them. But you were angry over yours. You kept thinking about what you lost. You didn't get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to.” – Captain

The captain reminds us that we make sacrifices for others to live. Eddie was depressed when lost his leg, yet he never realized that he was luckier than the captain who lost his life.

5. "Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves.” – Ruby

Indeed, it’s very hard to forgive someone who hurt you. Yet if we know how to forgive someone, we didn’t only gain that person back but we freed ourselves from bitterness and hatred.

6. "Life has to end, love doesn't." – Marguerite

When you truly love a person, even he/she is far or gone the love you feel will always remain. Marguerite died yet Eddie never stopped loving her. She loves her wife more than he loves himself.

Character Captain- Beverly Asne

1. Eddie- He is a grizzled war veteran who feels trapped in a meaningless life. He died at the age of 83 on an accident on Freddy’s Free Fall at Ruby Pier when he rescued a young little girl.

His Family

2. His Father- rude, abusive and disciplinarian. He always pushes Eddie towards his limits.

3. His Mother- a loving mother who bonds her family.

4. Joe- Eddie’s older brother. At their young age, Eddie always keeps him since he shows           weakness and inferiority.

5. Mickey Shea- a family friend. He works with Eddie’s father at the Ruby Pier.

The Five People

1. The Blue Man or Joseph Corvelzchik- his skin was blue after drinking silver nitrate as             medication. Eddie caused his death- heart attack after avoiding hitting Eddie with his car.

2. Captain- He is the commanding officer of Eddie. At heaven, he revealed to shot Eddie’s           leg to save him. He did after stepping on a land mine during their escape.

3. Ruby- wife of Emile- the owner of Ruby Pier, which was named after her. Her heaven is a         place where all the victims of Ruby Pier can take rest.

4. Marguerite. Eddie’s wife. She died with a brain tumor at the end of 47.

5. Tala- the young Filipina girl whom Eddie unintentionally burned to death.

Summarizer- Grace Mascariñas

          Grace summarized the book by involving how Eddie died and what happened to him in heaven.

          Eddie was an old man who’s working at the Ruby Pier as maintenance officer. Every day, he checks all the rides to secure safety for the costumers which mostly are children. It was his birthday yet nothing seemed to be special. He stopped celebrating it when his wife, Marguerite died. Few minutes a ride malfunctioned because of the dented cable. The riders were rescued yet the cart was detached and dropped. Eddie saw a young girl on the spot where the cart will fell and rescued it. Unfortunately, it caused his death. He woke up on a familiar place yet he feels unusual. It was then when he reached heaven.

          He met the Blue Man, he explained that Eddie will meet Five People in Heaven who will clarify his existence. The Blue Man told Eddie that he was the one who caused his death- when he avoided Eddie on the street while driving on the car. Eddie felt guilty yet the Blue Man told him that all lives are connected.

          The second person was the Captain, his commanding officer when he went to war in Philippines during World War II. They recall their bad experiences during the war until the captain admitted that he was the reason behind his bad leg. He shot it to rescue Eddie. During their escape, the captain died after stepping on a land mine. He emphasized to Eddie the value of sacrifice. If he didn’t shot Eddie’s leg, he might die from the fire and if the Captain, himself didn’t die, everyone will.

          He then met Ruby, the wife of Emile- the owner of Ruby Pier. He told that the history of how the amusement park was built and how did it once ruined others life, including them. But Ruby’s purpose was to convince Eddie to forgive his father. Eddie’s father was very abusive such reason why Eddie hated him until he died. At the end of their conversation, Eddie learned to forgive his father after knowing his heroic deed before dying.

          Then, on a beautiful garden, he saw his wife, Marguerite. They reminisce all their sweet experiences from the time Eddie court Marguerite until they get married. They were a happy couple until Marguerite was diagnosed with a tumor in her brain. She died at the age of 47. On their conversation, she told Eddie that life may end but love never ceases.

          Lastly, Eddie encountered a little girl he never met in his entire life. Hr name was Tala. She then revealed that Eddie burned him to death during the war. Her mother kept her on one of the nipa hut, knowing it was safe. Eddie felt guilty. He was very sorry and was kept asking for forgiveness. Later, Eddie asked her if he saved the little girl from the falling ride. Tala nodded. She said that Eddie was not living a meaningless life at all. As he works everyday, he keeps all children safe and happy.

          Eddie realized his purpose so as he discovered his own heaven. A happy place, just like the Ruby Pier, where he can spend time with his loved ones.

Literary Artist- Jaydee Paid

Eddie shut his eyes in denial. "But I felt her hands," he said. "It's the only thing I remember. I couldn't have pushed her. I felt her hands." Tala smiled and scooped up river water, then placed her small wet fingers in Eddie's adult grip. He knew right away they had been there before.

"Not her hands," she said. "My hands. I bring you to heaven. Keep you safe."

The scene that captured me was when Eddie keeps on asking the five people in heaven if he saved the girl from the accident. The last thing Eddie felt was the girl’s hand. Later, Tala revealed he saved the poor girl. But what was really absorbing is that the hands Eddie felt was not of the young girl, it was Tala’s.