The 5 People You Meet in Heaven

I've been doing a lot of reading lately. I have a little extra time, and I want to get some reading done before I no longer have ready access to books in English. I'd heard a lot of good things about the 5 People You Meet in Heaven, so I decided to read it. It was definitely interesting. There were some good points. The main point (from my perspective) was that everything you do affects other people. You can't always see the effects of your actions, but there is a purpose behind it all.
One quote that I particularly liked is : "Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know." If you look at things from a gospel perspective, that is really true. After all, we are all children of God, and that makes us all family. We just don't know all of them. But I think the real point of the quote is that every stranger has the potential to become a close friend, someone you would refer to as "like a sister/brother." But we have to give them that chance.
Another quote: "No life is a waste. The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone." I talked this one over with my sister. She said, I don't think that's true. I asked her when else we waste time. She told me that she thinks sometimes when people are in a depression and just lay around all day doing nothing. I think that is really connected. Except for when the depression is completely chemical related, I think a lot of depression comes from feeling that you are alone. I think there are other times when we waste time (I know I waste more time then I should), but that doesn't mean that that time in the end is a waste. I don't even know if that makes sense. Perhaps when all is said and done, the fact of the matter is that even the times that we felt we were wasting, taught us something that we needed to know, and that is never a waste.
Finally: "All parents damage their children." This one I agreed with at first, but then I thought about it. Does it have to be that way? I don't think it does. I know plenty of people who have healthy families and healthy family relationships. Parents do the best that they can do, and sometimes they mess up, but that doesn't mean that their errors have to damage the children. I really don't have an answer for how NOT to damage your children except for to live the gospel the way that the Savior preached. I think it is especially important that when you correct a child, you show an increase of love afterwards. Other than that, it is just important to love your children and let them know it through actions. Because as generations have so aptly put it: "Actions speak louder than words."