Thankful for. . . (Day 3)

I’m thankful today and everyday for parents who not only were readers themselves, but encouraged us to become readers.

(This was supposed to be  just a Facebook status update, but it needs more.)

C.S. Lewis – who  happens to be the author of my most favorite books EVER said ““You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” I may trade that cup of tea for a glass of tea, but it still rings true.  I was blessed to grow up in a home of readers. We always had books in our house and our parents could always find money for books. I remember visiting the Goodwill store called the “Re-reader” for books when I was little.  We could pick up books for a nickel, dime or quarter. (In hindsight,  that early experience makes it VERY hard for me to pay full price for hardback books now!)  They also taught us the value of the public library. We moved from Lakeland right after my 7th birthday and I had already learned to LOVE the library. Anybody else remember those funky colored wire mesh looking chairs in the children’s section of the Lakeland Library??

Our school was poor – we were poor, although we didn’t realize it and once a year we got RIF books.  The RIF (Reading is Fundamental) people came into our school library with boxes and boxes of books and we got to pick one  - a brand new book and take it home. It was ours to keep, for FREE!! We loved RIF books. 

My parents  always seemed to find money for book orders. You know, those little paper flyers kids bring home, every month? We couldn’t always buy every book we wanted, but we always got something, if we really wanted it.  Maybe that’s why I still send home those Scholastic book order forms, even if only one kid orders a book.

I have a poster in my room that says “Those who DO NOT read are no better off than those who CAN NOT read.”  I’m so, so thankful that my parents encouraged us to read. I can’t imagine my life without books. Books have taken me all over the world, allowed me to have grand adventures, and taken me beyond my circumstances. Books have taken me to every continent and nearly every country in the world.  I’ve traveled on planes, trains and automobiles, as well as hot air balloons, space shuttles and rocket ships. I’ve even visited other planets. I’ve eaten fabulous meals, and been starving.  I’ve lived in beautiful homes and in poor, desperate hovels.  I’ve been in love a million time and had my heart broken just as often. I’ve been in the tundra, in the desert, and just as quickly, in a rain forest.  I’ve been on the  the peak of Mt. Everest and explored  the barrenness of Antarctica – all while never leaving my home. 

Thomas Jefferson once said  “I cannot live without books.” It’s true about me – I absolutely cannot!!

The business cards I had made had this quote from Louisa May Alcott:  “She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.” 

Thank you, Mom and Daddy, for letting me become a reader!!

 

Hey, even my cat reads: