I am not going to lie here. I do not remember ever reading "Cather and the Rye",or "Gone with the Wind". I know we had book reports to write in school, my mom bought me books for Christmas, and I checked books out from the school library. I carried books around with me and had them on my nightstand and in my locker. Not sure how I did it but I never remember reading any book from start to finish until I was about 30 years old.
Emily went to the town library "book sale". It was in the summer and she had walked up there and took some money with her. Quite proud of herself, and sure she had gotten the perfect gift, she came home with a "romance novel" for my birthday. I sat down to really try and read this novel from beginning to end! To my surprise I devoured the book and read it in little time! I was now hooked on romance novels and bought everyone at every garage sale I could get a hold of. At .25 cents a book, it was a reasonable habit for a young mother!!
It is amazing to me but real soon I could not read another smut novel. I was so tired of them... they were all the same...
young beautiful women
meets strong, brave man and they fall in love
just before the marriage something awful happens and they are separated
then just before the end of the novel they come together again for a life that only can be dreamed of!
I still wanted to read but needed something new.
The next thing I remember is Carol giving me the book " Where the Heart Is". It is a book about a girl who has a baby and secretly lives in Walmart with her. It was a wonderful book. Again I am hooked on books!!
Slowly through the years the books I liked have changed. God has brought me to more learning type of books. Reading and learning about who He is in my life and who He is to the world. Books on faith and love, memories and change. It seems to be a time in my life where I can not read enough! Starting with some of Nicolas Sparks, and then moving into Glen Beck, Max Lacado, Richard Evans. Books of personal triumph and the Grace of God in peoples lives. You name it... tuck it in with a few love stories, a little midlife crisis and don't forget how to turn 50 and love it books!!
One of my favorite's was a 49th birthday present from Carol "The Same Kind of Different as Me". I don't have the book right now - it is being passed around and everyone says the same thing..."That book can change your life!" I encourage you all to read it when you find some extra time!
And now to the most important part - the reason for my story tonight.
I loved to read to my babies (they had all the Manners and Bernstein Bear books) and now that they are grown, I love to read to their babies (they have the llama llama Red Pajama books). The picture that is on this blog, is a very beautiful memory of the day I went to Conner's preschool class. We were reading about "Clifford the Big Red Dog". Then of course there was "The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy", and the "Llama Llama Red Pajama" books, each of them read several times so that he is then able to read it back to me! JaciAnna who is now 6 almost 7 years old is learning to read. She read to me from her new Christmas books. First JaciAnna would read a page and then it was my turn. It is amazing to me to see how a child learns to read. I hope their love for books stays with them...
and if not...
I hope that their 10 year old will one day buy them a book!
