Yesterday I gave thanks for WORDS so it follows naturally that today I am grateful for BOOKS :-) I have had a love affair with books since I first learned how to read. From Dr. Seuss, to biographies, to Readers Digest Condensed books, through my childhood and adolescence books were my ever present and steadfast friends. My mother used to buy the Golden Book Encyclopedia books one volume at a time from the A&P grocery store in Painesville, Ohio. I devoured them! On most any day after school when it was cold, you could find me sitting on top of the heating register in the living room, behind my Dads recliner chair. With a blanket wrapped around me to keep in the heat, Id read them over and over.The small bookcase next to dads chair held MY books on the bottom shelf. It was my place. Later, after my sister moved out, my place was in my bedroom. The routine was to come home after school, make a big mug of tea and a couple slices of toast and head to my bed to read. By the time I was a teen-ager my favorites were historic romance novels, and biographies, and anything with a medical slant. My brothers thought I was crazy. My friends made fun of me. My teachers didnt believe I read as many books as I said I did. When I ran out of reading material one summer I read my mothers old Medical Encyclopedia, poring over the grotesque pictures of tumors, and the swollen legs of a woman with elephantiasis. To this day I cannot be without a book. I carry one in my purse almost everywhere, just in case. I indulge in escapist (therapeutical?) reading every night in bed before I turn out the light. I hate to give books away. I have books I havent read ... yet. Books are friends and magic carpets, they are doors and time machines. I suffer from the delusion that if I just have the right book about any given topic, I can fix almost anything - or anyone. As I said, its a delusion :-) I have 3 books that I would like to write in outline form, but it seems I am too undisciplined to take them further. Some day, I tell myself ... some day. Next to being known as a faithful and compassionate servant of Jesus Christ and a good mother & friend, I think I would love to be remembered as someone who wrote a good book. I give thanks for books.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 17:13:32 +0000