About Book

If you had one hour to live and could make just one phone call, who would you call? What would you say? Why are you waiting? Richard Carlson's sudden, tragic death in December 2006 left his millions of fans reeling, but even their many letters, calls, and emails couldn't erase the loss felt by his wife, Kristine. 

To try and come to terms with her loss, she poured over 25 years of love letters, reliving the memories and cherishing her late husband's memory. But one letter stood out. Richard had written to his wife on their 18th wedding anniversary and attempted to answer that… if you had one hour to live, what would you do, who would you call, and what would you say? An Hour to Live, an Hour to Love is a profoundly moving book that shows the importance of treasuring each day as the incredible gift it is.

About authors;

Richard Carlson

Richard Carlson, Ph.D, was born and raised in the Bay Area. He grew up in Piedmont and received his bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University and his doctorate in psychology from Sierra University before opening a private psychotherapy practice.

During his life, he was considered one of the foremost experts in happiness and stress reduction in the United States and around the world and was a frequent featured guest on such shows as Oprah, The Today Show, The View, NNC, CNN, Fox, PBS, and more than 200 other shows.

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Don't Sweat the Small Stuff continued to be a publishing phenomenon with more than 20 titles in the brand franchise, two of which were co-authored and authored with his beloved wife, Kris.

The words "don't sweat the small stuff" have become a part of American culture thanks to Richard Carlson's book, which became a runaway bestseller and made publishing history as the #1 best-selling book in the United States for two consecutive years. The book spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times Best-Seller list and is still considered one of the fastest selling books of all time and has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.

In December 2006, Carlson died of a pulmonary embolism during a flight from San Francisco to New York, while on a promotion tour for his book Don’t Get Scrooged: How to Thrive in a World Full of Obnoxious, Incompetent, Arrogant and Downright Mean-Spirited People.

Kristine Carlson 

Kristine Carlson (born July 5, 1963, Portland, Oregon) is an American author living in California. A graduate of Pepperdine University, she is known as co-author with her husband, the late Richard Carlson of the Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all Small Stuff series, and author of Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff in Love and Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Women. She served on the Board of Directors and the Global Leadership Council for Challenge Day.

Her best-selling book, written with her late husband and released in December 1997, is An Hour to Live, an Hour to Love, and is based on an extended love letter written to her by her husband. Richard Carlson died from a pulmonary embolism at 45. 

An hour to Live.

Love is truly eternal and lasts forever. It is the core of our connection and expression of life.

You will be remembered most, not from your accomplishments in life, but for how well you lived, and how much love you carried in your heart.

Time flies.

The world looks as crazy as war, but it is clearly going to go on without me.

It’s easier and a lot more  – to simply give things away and be happy about it.

It is easier and a lot more fun to simply give things away and be happy about it.

If you are not happy, it is time to quit being competitive and start listening to your heart. It’s time to change direction.

You won’t regret saying no to the office and to your boss and to other obligations in order ti say yes to your children and to your partner and to your family.

What would you say?

Following your heart is far more important than any amount of success.

The best things in life aren’t things.

We always teach best what we most need to learn,

Life is all about love, sharing, compassion, and kindness.

“ We cannot do great things on this earth. We can only do small things with great love” – Mother Teresa.

Even  small things can be great things  when our hearts are in the right place.

We are here to serve others, and to serve God. Everything else  is secondary, because love, kindness, compassion, closeness, and a generous spirit last forever.

Why are you waiting?

The key to a good life is this: If you are not going to talk about something during the last hour of your life, then don’t make it a top priority during your lifetime.

An hour to love

Grieving is the ultimate act of love, or atleast, it can be.

Love holds all possibility, and that includes bliss in the face of immeasurable suffering and gain through loss.

Life is a series of choices potentially taking us to many places, and even as you think prior to tragedy that you could not possibly survive, there is still a choice in how you go on.

Life goes on for the living who are fully awake,

Death is a human condition that is perhaps unfair to all of us, yet none of us will escape.

The truth is, many people live under the illusion that as long as we are good people, only good things will happen to us. And if we eat right and exercise and do all the good stuff, we live as if we will never die.

Life is a big experience and holds everything in it, and much of it  – we would not consciously choose – especially the suffering.

Any one of us can take the time to notice and appreciate the gifts of any significant person, whether it is a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, teacher or friend.

People want to know that they lived well, and loved well, and each of us has the power to share this gift.

Marriage is the nexus of the physical and the spiritual.

Love does last forever.

There is divine order – even the smallest, most seemingly insignificant act of love continues on forever.

References

• Goodreads. “An Hour to Live, an Hour to Love: The True Story of the Best Gift Ever Given.” An Hour to Live, an Hour to Love: The True Story of the Best Gift Ever Given, Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/2281083.
• Wikipedia. “Kristine Carlson.” Kristine Carlson, wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristine_Carlson.