I have had a deep love of reading for as long as I can remember. Even though the days of roaring through a book in one sitting are long gone -- to be replaced by the sweet sound of "Mama, read me book!" -- I still love reading.
One of my favorite memories is of my mom hauling us kids off to the local library, plastic grocery bags in tow, and spending the afternoon milling around the towering wooden shelves of plastic-covered storybooks. Right when you entered the children's section was a display table of the newest books that had just arrived, but the area I really loved was further away. On the dusty carpet, in small corners, I would sit with a new treasure and get lost in the story.
When it was time to go, we left with tall stacks of books, precariously stuffed into the thin grocery bags that promised to give way at any moment. Now, I'm amazed that my mom kept track of them all and didn't allow us to misplace our library books.
Years later, when we moved back to town and I was in high school, I spent countless hours in that same library with my friends as we worked on our Freshman year research paper. Way in the back, I discovered, hid another room filled with study carrels, where my friends and I sat in hushed silence (most of the time) and scribbled away on our 4 X 6 index cards.
I love the idea of reading, of being able to imagine a whole new life separate from one's own. Before my 2 year old, Micah, was born, I had a picture in my head of snuggling with my kid at bedtime and sharing the wonder of reading to him, and then tucking him in with a kiss and leaving him to drift off to sleep with stories of wonder and excitement floating around in his head.
That's a pretty common idea, I think, but for me, this is one memory I really want to create with/for my kids. Especially in this age of digital everything--toys that move and make all sorts of noise, cartoons, TV ads even in the checkout line at the supermarket -- I want to create a home environment for my kids that fosters creativity and imagination.
It brings me great joy to see Micah head to the bookshelf, contemplate for a moment, and bring a book (or two, or three, or a whole stack, as the case may be) over and say, "Mama, read me book please."
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