Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Album. I would be surprised if any of our readers could immediately identify these two men, the leading figures in the book we are reviewing today. Morrie Schwartz was a beloved professor of sociology at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, and Mitch Album, his student, was so devoted to his professor that he took all his courses and promised at graduation that he would frequently come back for visits.

But promises are easily forgotten, and Mitch became a sports writer in Detroit, never returning to his alma mater. Learning almost twenty years later that his old prof was terminally ill with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease), Mitch remembered his promise and determined to visit Morrie. That visit brought about a renewal of friendship, indeed, a deep mutual respect and affection far beyond what they had known before. It soon became a ritual: Mitch would pay a visit to Morrie every Tuesday; thus the title of our book, Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson.

ALS is a cruel disease. Its course is that of increasing muscular paralysis, beginning with the legs and advancing relentlessly upward through the body to the arms and chest until the patient is totally paralyzed. Death comes when it reaches the lungs and throat, causing interminable bouts of coughing and finally choking the patient to death. There is no cure. The book is then a chronicle of two friends, the older professor aware of his increasing debility and his young companion determined to bring comfort and succor during those final months and weeks. Toward the end, Morrie could not even blow his own nose. As a story it is marked with both pain and compassion. There are those brief moments of humor, and the pages alternate between laughing and crying.

But it is more than that. It is a lengthy essay on what it is to die. So often when we visit the terminally ill, we feel that talk of death should be shunned. And our obituaries frequently state that the deceased died after a valiant fight with his illness. None of this was the case with Morrie. He wanted the comfort of close companionship, and he wanted realistic talk. Morrie needed to go through his own grieving process before dying so he could find inner reconciliation. He had no desire to fight to the end; he wanted to die in peace, having accepted the end of life, and unafraid to approach his passing.

This book is a beautiful story of how Morrie and Mitch worked together to prepare Morrie for death. There are lessons for virtually all of us in its bittersweet pages. When Morrie finally dies, we weep but are also at peace that the inevitable has come. The story Mitch tells is a warm and poignant lesson for all of us, both as we face our own dying and as we comfort those about us. Look for it among the new books on the display table in the library.

Music Participants: April 10: Sanctuary Choir; April 17: Sanctuary Choir; Savior's Singers Children's Choir; Kyle Chaulk, trumpet.

Sunday's Music: The Sanctuary choir anthem, "How Firm a Foundation," is an arrangement by Alice Parker of the beloved hymn. According to the Psalter Hymnal Handbook:" 'How Firm a Foundation' is a noble text, full of comfort for God's people whose 'foundation' of faith is rooted in the Word and whose lives experience divine protection when they face 'deep waters' and 'fiery trials.' The final stanza clearly moves beyond the text's Old Testament source and proclaims the certainty of redemption in Christ." Alice Parker is a noted composer, choral conductor, and teacher who has been instrumental in championing American music within the folk tradition. She led a hymn service at FPC as one of our Arts Series programs several years ago. The words for this hymn are an anonymous English text first printed in 1787; the tune is an American folk hymn that first appeared in print in 1817. Parker effectively captures the rugged nature of the melody and words in her arrangement.

Arts Series: The date is upon us! The third program in our 2010-2011 Arts Series takes place this Sunday, April 10, at 3:00 p.m. and features concert saxophonist Ashu. This will be an entertaining program for children and adults of all ages. Suggested ticket donation is $10 adults/$5 students ages 6 through college.

Programs of Note: Members of First Presbyterian are involved in two other musical happenings in the area this month. Liz Dollar is stage director and Amy Oblinger is musical director for King College's Dogwood Weekend production (April 14-16) of the musical Pippin. For the Paramount Chamber Players gala concert in the church sanctuary on Saturday, April 16, Vicki Fey will play the Dvořák Bagatelles for harmonium (organ) and string trio. - Steve & Vicki Fey