Gratitude Week - Day 3

Today's gratitude goes out to books. They have been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. My grandmother was a schoolteacher and she told me that if I could read, I could learn anything and everything. I took this advice to heart, and have been learning through fiction, nonfiction, textbooks, picture books, YA, and audiobooks ever since.

Childhood favorites gave me pleasure decades ago, and I have appreciated them even more after several rereads as an adult. Even though I never did find a spider that could spell, have a sugaring off, run away to the Met, or drink raspberry cordial, I could do these things in my imagination.

Books have given me a way to spend quality time with my sons. When Justin was learning to read, he was obsessed with Mr. Grump. His teacher finally gave us a copy and I remember getting teary-eyed when he read it by himself for the first time. My boy could read!

Ryan and I shared the Harry Potter books. I had to order the first books in the series from the UK because I was so anxious to read the next one and they were published in the UK six months earlier than in the US. I started ordering two copies when Ryan began reading them himself and we had great discussions after we had both finished. We share an Audible account now, and he called last night to tell me that he had finally started The Nix, which I've been urging him to do for several months. I hope he loves it as much as I did, but even if he doesn't it's still wonderful to talk about books with him.

I'm currently reading Faithful, and one of the characters expressed my feelings perfectly, "I'm sticking with books. They never let you down and they don't judge you." I'm so grateful for books, reading, trips to the library, meeting other readers, the thrill of a new book, and the excitement of turning the page. I'm sticking with books, too.