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Green= Summary
Yellow= Chapter
Black= Quotes
Blue= Personal Connection
Red= Class Connection
Purple= World connection

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Letters to Sam is a collection of letters that a dying grandfather has written to his young grandson. In the letters, "Pop" attempts to send off his grandson into the great world beyond with advice about family, himself, what's ahead, and what Sam's place in the world could be. For Sam, these collections of letters are a tutorial on how to live a meaningful and happy life, and are perhaps the greatest gift an elder could ever pass on.

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Pop, who lived in a wheelchair for a large sum of his life, relates to his Grandson Sam who will grow up with Autism. Pop brings a particularly unique point of view as one disabled person in an attempt to help guide Sam through the life of being different than those around him.

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“What you are about, is more important than who you are”

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“What you are about, is more important than who you are”

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I actually disagree with Pop's "Who you are about is more important than who you are". I think intentions are good, but actions are much more important. I believe how you are perceived is more important than who you intend to be, because the perception of you is what will go down in history and memory, not your intentions.

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“Like Abraham, as we embark on our own journey, have a little faith, take the imparted wisdoms from our parents/teachers, go forward and be attentive always to the quiet voice of your heart”

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“Like Abraham, as we embark on our own journey, have a little faith, take the imparted wisdoms from our parents/teachers, go forward and be attentive always to the quiet voice of your heart”

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“When you do feel shame, seek out someone who loves and accepts you for who you are, in the intimacy that exposure brings, an amazing opportunity of being loved for who we are”

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“When you do feel shame, seek out someone who loves and accepts you for who you are, in the intimacy that exposure brings, an amazing opportunity of being loved for who we are”

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"Their job is to love you, protect you as best as they can, try to understand you, and enjoy your laughter.

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"Their job is to love you, protect you as best as they can, try to understand you, and enjoy your laughter.

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"When they give you roots, you will feel safe, loved, and secure, knowing they genuinely want to understand the person you are."

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"When they give you roots, you will feel safe, loved, and secure, knowing they genuinely want to understand the person you are."

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when Pop talks about "roots", those roots come from more than just parents. Teachers, in many ways, are gardeners holding their students up when need be, aiding students in growing in the right direction, maybe even watering them when they are in need, but not doing the growing for them. That's what the "sunlight and rain" are for.

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Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our vulnerability, which can involve a lot of pretending. But only when you stop pretending you're brave or strong do you allow people to show the kindness that's in them

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Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our vulnerability, which can involve a lot of pretending. But only when you stop pretending you're brave or strong do you allow people to show the kindness that's in them

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I think it is vital to consider what Pop said about being vulnerable when it comes to helping students with disabilities. Oftentimes, teachers are allowed to see personal information about a student that that student is not yet comfortable with. It is in that moment that all teachers must understand the responsibility and trust that they must have with that student, for they are opened up to you in order for you to help them.

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The Quote about showing our vulnerability can be seen across the globe, across ever language and every culture. Oftentimes men especially are told to not show weakness or vulnerability. When, however, as Pop points out, it is only when we ask for help when we can genuinely receive it.

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“If you fight the right battle, in the right way, the outcome can change not only your life, but also the lives of others.”

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“If you fight the right battle, in the right way, the outcome can change not only your life, but also the lives of others.”

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“Your physical well being and thus your mental state, is God-given responsibility to you. Tending to them and get a clear sense of what your life is about before ashes and dust and you'll be having inner peace with your life”

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“Your physical well being and thus your mental state, is God-given responsibility to you. Tending to them and get a clear sense of what your life is about before ashes and dust and you'll be having inner peace with your life”

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“When frustration is unchecked, Sam, it turns into rage, and rage triggers action.”

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“When frustration is unchecked, Sam, it turns into rage, and rage triggers action.”

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I see Pop's quote about turning frustration nd anger into action is a part of our modern and historical periods of radicalization. I think people radicalize because their frustrations are left unchecked.

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“Learn to tolerate your own different-ness from other people and learn to navigate your own waters”

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“Learn to tolerate your own different-ness from other people and learn to navigate your own waters”

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Pop's Quote about navigating your own waters is exactly what the modern strategy is in special education. Assimilation is all about giving each student the closest to "normal" study as we possibly can, so that students may learn to navigate their own way.

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So many of us suffer because we are trying to live the life we once had or the life we wish for. Life is much sweeter when we live the life we have

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So many of us suffer because we are trying to live the life we once had or the life we wish for. Life is much sweeter when we live the life we have

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“Like all buses, it comes when it comes. You can wait with frustations, angers or feeling of victimhoods or you can wait with patience and relaxation, either way, it won't make the bus come any way faster”

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“Like all buses, it comes when it comes. You can wait with frustations, angers or feeling of victimhoods or you can wait with patience and relaxation, either way, it won't make the bus come any way faster”

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Pop's Quote about living the life we have and waiting for the bus is the same philosophy I discovered coming into college. I think it is why I have never suffered from depression or anxiety the way my peers have, because I have accepted this wise man's advice on living in the moment. It is vital for living a happy life. Accept you don't have control, but make the most out of what you have.

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“Two waves in the ocean are talking to each other. The front wave tells the second that it's frightened because it is about to crash into the shore and cease to exist. But the second wave shows no fear. It explains to the first: "You are frightened because you think you are a wave; I am not frightened because know I am part of the ocean.”

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I think the quote about the waves is one of the best metaphors I've ever heard about global purpose. Many people see their death as being the end of their impact, however, like the second wave, we are all a part of the ocean. Even when we stop flowing, our waves impact the rest of the ocean's flow forever.

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“The story of Pi is the story of all of us. We all have tigers under our tarpaulins - tigers that, we feel, could destroy us. We think we want to be rid of our tigers. But the truth is, we would feel a great loss if they ran away, because ultimately, each tiger is part of us.”

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“The story of Pi is the story of all of us. We all have tigers under our tarpaulins - tigers that, we feel, could destroy us. We think we want to be rid of our tigers. But the truth is, we would feel a great loss if they ran away, because ultimately, each tiger is part of us.”

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As we learned in class, disability is an outdated term. In this sense, Sam's Autism is his tiger. As much as some people see disabilities as just that, Pop recognized that each person's uniqueness is tied to themselves. To try to eradicate a disability is foolish, instead, it is better to "befriend the tiger" and learn to work with each individuals uniqueness the best we can.

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“It's a funny thing about life, I think we are born square and we die round. As waters of life wash over us, we lose our sharp corners, and that can be good; we take on surprising, satisfying new shapes.”

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“It's a funny thing about life, I think we are born square and we die round. As waters of life wash over us, we lose our sharp corners, and that can be good; we take on surprising, satisfying new shapes.”

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I never really knew any of my grandparents. One lived in Ireland until she died, another died a decade before I was born and another before I could really remember him. What I would give to hear any advice they would have for me. Of course, they lived very different lives than I am, but I don't think time or circumstance really changes the advice so much. I don't know Pop or Sam and I'm nothing like them, yet I learned so much from Pop's letters.

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“One day you will die, but death is not your enemy and it only makes you to appreciate life's gifts more with each passing second.”

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“One day you will die, but death is not your enemy and it only makes you to appreciate life's gifts more with each passing second.”

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Although at first glance Letter to Sam seems to be a tear inducing goodbye, the tears a reader may produce come instead from the happiness hidden throughout. Obviously goodbyes are sad, but Pop didn't write these letters to make Sam cry, he wrote them to make him smile. That's how I ended up feeling. In each chapter, the thought of death eluded me as I instead, absorbed this wise man's wisdom and his humor with glee.