Ahhh The Printed Word...

I love books!! Today I was working on a project looked up and saw my bookshelf or excuse me ONE of my many bookshelves in my home. I began to think about where did this love of books begin? Is it just a love of books or knowledge that I can gain from them? I would lean toward the latter not the former reason. I continue to have a fascination for learning and gleaning information. But I also enjoy the journey that many of my books take me on.
So where did this love of books begin? I guess it all goes back to Kindergarten when we used to visit this place http://www.braswell-library.org/index.htm on reading days. (Its the black and white building in the picture and much like I remember it.) It has since been re-modeled after the catastrophic flooding of the Tar River because of Hurricane Floyd over twenty years ago that wreaked havoc on the building and its collections. But it was a wonderful place to me. I remember bravely walking from the children's section to the adult section because my brother told me there was a jar of eyeballs in the next room. Well there wasn't' a jar of eyeballs but there were jars of fascinating things: tiny squid, frogs, flowers, etc. all preserved for children to delight in and investigate. Of course my morbid imagination was already writing stories in my head about how they got there. Thus my love of libraries began and all that they held.

Another favorite library of mine that I went to growing up was in Fayetteville, NC. It was the main public library downtown. I loved this place. It had rare documents and old newspapers on microfilm for you to discover. I can remember one of my aha moments there while researching for a paper on North Carolina History. I was reading about the founding of the town of Fayetteville which was named for the Revolutionary war hero: General Marquis de Lafayette and wondering about why it was named after him etc. So I started searching through newspapers that dated back to the early 1816's. Well who knew I was going to need a translator for what I was reading. But it was fascinating. It was written in olde English. I fell even more in love with libraries and history in that moment. I couldn't help but think about who had read those newspapers; what did they think, what did they feel, etc. I was hooked.


From the time of my childhood, I could always find the school library and worked in a few in college and graduate school. I hope I will continue to love libraries, books and love of knowledge held within. Did you grow up loving libraries? What was your favorite one?



PS I am adding an interesting history fact from Fayetteville that I didn't know before today. You will find it in this picture:

My Current Reading List or My Stack of Books

I love books, just ask those who work with me and they will attest to the 4 bookshelves pretty well packed with books. And I have given away or traded tons, but I still have gobs. I have equally as many here at home. The problem is I am pretty ADD when it comes to reading books. Unless they hook me and speak to a situation I am going through or give me information that I need for the moment it is hard for me to stick with a book til the end in one sitting or even one week. In other words it takes me a while to finish it. But does that keep me from buying other books before I finish that one. No way! Onward and upward. Right now I have 3 books that I am working through: The Blogging Church (which, by the way, I have been disappointed in. It fails to take you beyond the basic argument of why to blog. Although they give you great examples of successful church bloggers and they even tell you the skeletal basics of how to set one up. They just don't truly help you with details. But I am only 3/4 of the way through it so maybe they will redeem themselves) Benjamin Franklin, an American Life which I have loved. I love Colonial History probably because I grew up surrounded by it in my home state of North Carolina. So reading about Benjamin Franklin was the next much anticipated read. Have also read about Thomas Jefferson and George Washington's lives. Franklin was so very creative always looking at the possibilities of things. Plus an avid communicator and writer. But he wasn't the godly upstanding man that most have painted him. Very much a rascal and carouser. But still much to learn from his life. I will blog more about that soon. And then finally a fun fiction read Boo Hiss.

I have attached a pic of my stack. Some books are to help with my ministry some are just for my reading fun. Other essentials for reading that I use while reading are the post it bookmark flags, and post it cards which are somewhat new to me, I used to use the big post it notepads. And of course my stack of pens and highlighters. These are all there for me to be able to jot down information,ideas or thoughts as I am reading. Or I tend to forget the profound thoughts that I have while reading ha! or at least profound to me.

So what are you reading right now? Is it inspiring you, challenging you, making you laugh?

Confessions of a Pen-a-holic

I have a confession to make. I am a card carrying pen-a-holic. I think it all started in 4th grade when these amazing felt tip markers showed up in the school store. I bought one a week until I had ALL of them. And there were at least 20.

Yes I admit I like all kinds of pens. Rollerballs, felt tip,ballpoint, and gel. Oh and of course in all of the colors available. The list is endless. Am embarassed to admit that I don't just have one little box that my pens are in...no I have several. And they are also organized according to type. Shocking I know,but there it is.

The aisles where the pens are located at the office supply stores just suck me in. And I have to exert willpower and "just say no". Some days its SO hard. But then I remember other people need those pens more than I do. So I tough it out and walk away.

Next time you see a pen or are on the pen aisle remember me and my struggle. Many have said I am either a frustrated writer or artist... I don't know about that. I just know I gotta have my pens.