Ira Byock wrote the novel The Four Things That Matter Most, in 2004. Mr. Byock is a renowned physician specializing in and practicing palliative care and his main interest is offer care to alleviate mental, emotional and physical symptoms for those in their final moments of life. His enriching novel discusses these concepts; it is a useful tool for those who are dying, or for loved ones facing the reality of impending death, and for those who have lost a loved one. The cover of the book states that it is “A book about life”. Before I started reading it, I kept thinking, “How could this be a book about life?” when clearly the author had his own interests in caring for the sick and dying. Wouldn't you be writing a novel about coming to terms with death? I was definitely wrong in my assumption. The Four Things That Matter Most has five distinct parts within its pages that coincide with what the book is about. Part One introduces the Four Things, things that are indispensable to help heal, create, and complete various relationships. The next four parts go into detail about the four things titled Forgiveness, Thank You, I Love You, and Goodbye. Mr. Byock assumes that talking about these four things to those we love and perhaps applying them to ourselves will get very guaranteed benefits to grow more within in order to effectively grow our relationships. These four things can be applied to any life situation that may stand in our way or to any age of person, and if that person wholeheartedly follows their well-intentioned advice on the four things, it's a win-win situation! the parts are divided into very insightful chapters for a total of twenty-one... half of the paper... we must be dead so that our loved ones can celebrate our life. We should celebrate each other at all times to ensure we are all aware of how much we truly care for each other. Everyone is special in their own way and we should celebrate before we don't have the chance to know what people think of us. I really liked this book. Many passages have made me truly appreciate and reflect on those in my life, my loved ones, or even a stranger holding a door open for me. There is a lot of love and gratitude to dwell on in life and I believe that if more people read The Four Things That Matter Most by Dr. Byock, it would help so many people. Even if you think all your relationships are already perfect, there is always room to grow. I will definitely think about my words and actions before I speak and add four more things to my life.