There are only a couple of places I can say that truly bring a sense of calm to my mind. First, and the most obvious, would be the presence of the Lord; second, my husband's embrace; and third would be the library. And that is where I was today with my little munchkin! We browsed for about an hour. It was so relaxing. The library is one place where I can sit down and just enjoy sitting! I can't even tell you what goes through my mind or why I find it so comforting. Most likely it was cultivated from the many years, as a young child, my mom would take my sisters and I to the local library and we would get piles and piles of books! You would never guess that we already had shelves crammed full of books at home. I remember how excited we would get when mom would tell us that it was library day! I think we would get the maximum amount allowed almost every time. Some books I would check out again and again...
As I got older and was able to go on my own, I would bring home all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books I could and stuff myself into a chair at home and just read. Unfortunately, books at the table were strictly forbidden, so I had to tear myself away for a couple hours for dinner time. But, if the parents weren't there us girls would sit at the table slurping soup, eating pizza or munching on cereal with books shoved to our noses enjoying our secret sin. My mom always had books. As a matter of fact, one of her dreams wa
s to have a small library of her own. At one point, a whole room in our house was full of bookshelves and packed from top to bottom with everything from history to art. And now, my little boy has his own mini-library in his room and soaks up every photo of bugs, plants, animals and underwater adventure he can. How many times he has scolded me for turning off the light too soon because he wasn't finished reading, I can't remember. And, going to sleep, whether a nap or for the night, without first reading a book is a crime to him. Is the love for books an inheritable trait!? Gracious, it sure seems like it.
