Lately, I've been enjoying several books by Anne Lamott. I love her humor and insight into life's really difficult questions. She so transparently, and sometimes irreverently, discusses the nature of the human spirit and how it finds and ultimately connects with God in such imperfect, stumbling ways and how beautiful and honorable God finds those attempts. Mostly, I appreciate her honesty, because my own attempts to connect with God are often clumsy and always less-than-perfect.
Reading is such an important part of my life. Whether it's historical fiction, a book of poems, a biography, a favorite, dog-eared classic, I simply and unashamedly LOVE BOOKS ! There is something so very satifying about holding a good story in my hands. The feel, the smell, the sound of turning pages. Although I think it's wonderful that technology has made books more available to the masses with the advent of the internet and e-books, I am also a little sad that fewer people are taking the opportunity to fall in love with a "real" book. In my humble opinion, reading a book on a computer screen is just not conducive to a love affair with the written word. Needless to say, I am a huge fan of and advocate for the local public library. What an amazing opportunity to read and explore what we might not be willing to or cannot afford to purchase.
Aside from the many hours I have read for my own pleasure, I have always read to my children----from the time they were infants and they simply enjoyed the rhythmic sound of my voice, until they were old enough to choose their own favorite books and read for themselves. I still read to my 11 year old son, Alex, and I will occassionally "catch" my 17 year old, Matthew, putting his own book aside to listen. Where else can we sail the seven seas and climb to the top of a mountain all in the same day, but in a book!
I have read and loved so many books in my 42 years. The very first book I truly fell in love with was Little Women. I was 12 years old the first time I met the March family. For the next 20 years I read it every single year. The beauty and gentleness of hearth and home was so real, so inviting. Each of the girls had so distinct a personality that I felt as though they belonged to me, beloved sisters to this only child.
As an adult, I became aware of the works of Jane Austen. I had found a kindred spirit. Her heroines encouraged me to love beauty and simplicity, to be quietly amused by the ridiculous, and to skillfully challenge the expectations of society. Who could not love the feisty Elizabeth Bennet or the wholehearted passion of Marianne Dashwood?!
And now, at this time in my life, with one son out of the house, another graduating this year, and my youngest soon to be in his teens, I find that I am reading books of a more spiritual nature----books that testify to the rewards and heartaches of motherhood, of being a woman, of simply having the privilege of traveling on this journey called life. I find that my heart needs the affirmation and encouragement of those who have walked before me or who are walking with me, even if only through the gentle power of their written words.
Books are so many things, and are capable of so many things. As Helen Exley said, "Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled, "This could change your life."
A house without books is like a room without windows. ~Heinrich Mann
Posts
I'm with you! I can't imagine my life without books!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blogosphere!
Hi Patti,
ReplyDeleteVanessa here from green-ness.blogspot.com
Relly enjoying your blog but this post on books has touched a chord with me. I would spend my last cent (that's dime for you) on print. I simply cannot walk past a book store. I actually feel deep sorrow for people who don't read books. They are missing out on so much.