MARLEY, MURPHY & ME

Last night, I finished reading the book Marley & Me, written by John Grogan. For anybody who have, or have had, a dog, this is a must-read book. It takes you through the story of Marley, one of the most difficult dogs, according to Grogan. Despite all the imperfections, we end up loving these crazy yet loyal creatures and they become a friend for life.

The book is immaculately written, with details and descriptions only a fine author such as Grogan could pull off. The story takes you through all the ups and downs of the Grogan Family and of course, what kind of impact their dog Marley has on their life. The book gives you lots of laugh-out-loud moments, but also true feelings of love for both Marley and your own dog, and of course sad incidents.

Since the book is a memoar of Marley, the ending of the book is inevitably also the ending of Marley's life. Once I reached that very passage of the book, I couldn't help it... The writing was so beautiful and real, it hit me like a ton of bricks and my tears were flowing like a waterfall. It touched me on such a deep level that I became even more so grateful for everything Murphy gives me on a daily basis. He makes me realise the happiness of life, the importance of living in the NOW, and of course he tests me, CONSTANTLY, so that I know for sure my self-awarness journey is far from complete. And his unconditional love and loyalty will always be uncompromising.

I highly recommend this book. Although you might have seen the movie, reading Grogan's words, remembering Marley, is very much different than a film interpretation. Read it!
You can buy it for a few €uros on PLAY.com.

Here's an excerpt from the book:
"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see."
— John Grogan (Marley & Me: Love and Life with the World's Worst Dog)
 
And here's my very own Marley -- "Murphy: Love and Life with the World's BEST Dog". :))
 

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