Title: They’re Still With You!: The Impact of Family and Friends
Author: Gerald Perschblacher, LL.D.
Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
ISBN: 979-8894856520
Pages: 231
Genre: Non-fiction / Parenting
Reviewer: Susan Brown
Hollywood Book Reviews
In the past 20 plus years, the enthusiasm for identifying the branches of a family tree has flourished. Ascertaining who one’s grandparents were … and great, great, great, great ones for that matter … is, perhaps, the first step for many of us to ascertaining who we are. Where are we from? What are we made of? Connecting these details of us to our past helps form our future.
In this wonderful book, Dr. Perschblacher reminds us that digging around in our roots can bring some delightful insights, not the least of which is the adage that “gone but not forgotten” is applicable to our forebears, as well as parents and friends. Part memoir, part handbook, the author instructs us to, “read the entries, exercise your memory. Jot your recollections. Investigate your life.”
The narrative is separated into two parts … really three because an extensive album of family members and significant moments and locations takes up a substantial portion. The first section focuses on the influence’s family, past and present, and the effect on their children. We are regaled with stories of the author’s childhood, with his look back at understanding the uniqueness of his parents. His reflective insight reminds us that, “Your parents did not write your future. You did, each day a new page in that book. Yet, much of your outlook and daily walk through life has been — and continues to be — influenced by parental impatience and your summation of it.”
In the second segment about the influence friends have on us, the author affirms that we “make a friend.” They are “chosen” and must be “nurtured, tested, tried and (hopefully) not found wanting.” In this section of the book, the author relies on his considerable expertise in understanding human behavior gleaned from his many years as a historian, researcher and theologian, providing insight into why he believes, “Friendships are monuments along our walk of life.” They are a two-way street of acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness and kindness that teach us how to incorporate those attributes into our lives. The author shares many heartening examples of the meaning his friends brought to his life. His reminisces are filled with engaging anecdotes that, clearly, filled his life with joy.
Teaching is something Dr. Perschblacher is clearly adept at. At the end of each chapter, there are thought-provoking suggestions, prompts and instructions on how to apply this book to our daily life. In fact, he even compels us to use it in that way. He writes, “This is a working book.” Use it as a primer for self-discovery.
I take that advice to heart. All too soon, many of our family members are gone and their stories are lost before we have the chance to hear them. And so, as the author writes, “We wrap ourselves around memories.” But if we take the time to know our family history, we also realize, as the author reminds us, that “Your parents and friends are still with you … in your manners, preferences, tastes, habits, instincts, outlooks, and way of thinking.” When we find out who our relatives were, we also uncover who we are.
They’re Still with You! captures the timeless impact of family and friends whose sacrifices and guidance remain woven into our memories. Gerald Perschbacher, LL.D. invites readers to reflect on the people who helped form their character and discover how those connections continue to inspire us every day.