I have an immense love of reading. Words on paper that bring to life thoughts, feelings, and bring you to other worlds bring me joy like nothing else seems to sometimes. The flow of the words that bring a story to life brings my beating heart to life.
I began reading when I was young. I was around 4 I think, though I can’t really remember. Reading was always my favorite subject in school and my Mother often had a hard time getting me to do much else (unless it was singing). I didn’t care for other subjects, for Science or Math. I wanted a good story in my hands at all times.
Early on, I read storybooks like any child. Dr. Seuss, Disney’s Cinderella, those cute stories about Winnie the Pooh, animals, children’s prayers, and the ghost stories that featured Gus the Ghost were among my favorites. I would read them over and over until I had them memorized.
As a teenager, I began to read more fiction. On Fortune’s Wheel was my first long novel and I love it to this day. The romantic notion of another strange land, of this beautiful young girl falling in love with a man from the Castle and becoming more than she could have ever dreamed… it made my heart fill up with warmth and love.
I’ve since passed this book on to my daughter who has also fallen in love with it, as well at the series, written by Cynthia Voigt. My girl and I share a love of reading, just like I shared with my grandmother. A passion of words and the stories they create.
My grandmother. I remember seeing her with a book in her hands almost daily. She read dime store novels, Harlequin type romances. Romance was her passion… both modern, contemporary and historical. It didn’t matter as long as the story was good.
I didn’t read those novels of Grandma’s until many years later but she gave them all to me once I was old enough. And those romances were just as great to me as they were to her the many years before. Timeless… enjoyable… filled with love that we both wished we could have… to escape the real world for just a moment.
And now my daughter… she shares the same passion, the same interest in books. She hasn’t been introduced to anything like Grandma’s books yet, by all means, but she has that same passion for reading as we do. And I’m passing on all the greats that I can.
Reading is something that can be passed on for many generations and that should not be overlooked. The enjoyment it brings is immense. The escape from the day to day brings a welcome relief and joy. The passion for life it leads you to find is like nothing else.
Reading will always be a passion of mine. It’s one of my favorite past times. I’m happy to share my love of reading with my children and see the excitement in their own faces as they discover imagination and stories they could never experience without reading.
