A Love Affair.

My love affair with books began with

the first story, the first turned page...

January 11, 2016
Monday

Dear Readers,

Come on in ~
it's cold outside!

Good Morning Readers! Come on in and sit by the fire. It's a beautiful day in North Central Texas albeit quite cold. I must be a funny sight all wrapped up in a blanket as I make my runs from the cottage to the casa!

Last Wednesday and Thursday, I was fed up to the gills and I needed to rest my brain and heart. I locked myself up in the cottage and read from my Daily Walk Bible and Diana Gabaldon's book, OUTLANDER (850 pages devoured in two days!). There were two things I wanted to accomplish:

(1)  I needed to continue my Bible reading because that grounds me and prepares me for prayer and a more positive outlook on life.

(2)  I needed to lose myself in an intriguing book that would take me away into another realm so that my brain could rest.

It worked.  It always does!

2016: Enrich my mind
I LOVE BOOKS, THE SMELL OF THE LEATHER,

THE CONTENTS, AND WHAT THEY TEACH ME!!

From the time I was about five, the library in my hometown (built in 1908 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982) was my friend. I learned to read very early and loved adventure books ... Sinbad the Sailor was a favorite (I still have it). I found I could go anywhere in the world and learn about cultures, countries, and interesting characters. The quest to find out why people do what they do and think has helped me evolve as a person.

My mother read to me every day as a small child. She made sure my brother and I had new books to read every month supplementing them with other books from the library. It was a tradition that passed from her to me to my children and now my grandchildren. We are all voracious readers and seekers of truth.  We share books, discuss what we've learned, and are continually growing. I like that.

Growing up, there were no smart phones, computers, or tv's (until I was in grade school). Books, music, and family gatherings were a way of life. Children and adults gathered to dance, play music (family bands were commonplace in my grandparents and parents day), and enjoy competitive sports. Church was a focal point for smorgasbord suppers, worship, and raising young folks to be moral adults. I never heard anyone say they were bored! My sport of choice and my own entertainment was hiking through the countryside and reading.

One thing I learned from books was to think logically and solve problems. Biographies were a favorite to read and I especially liked the ones where men and women rose from nothing to leaving their mark on this world. If they could do "it," I could do "it."

Dr Romance

With each season in my life, my book reading has changed. As a relationship coach, I read every on this topic I could find and grew in knowledge of how relationships evolved. I wrote the material for the Dating University at Great Expectations and loved every minute of it. I still smile when I'm going through old papers and find some of my columns from my days as Dr Romance. As a young mom, I read about children; as a single mom with teens, I read about teens; as a mom with a child addicted to alcohol, I read the Big Book and carried my Alanon book with me; when marriages failed I believed it was my fault and began my quest to read powerful books on fixing myself. In between books educating me, I read biographies, and fiction.

In the early 1980's, my boss and his wife gave me a Bible for my birthday. (Ohhh, they would get in trouble for that today!). Each year I read through the Bible making notes.

For some reason, this is the book I hold most dear. It's a reminder of my Christian walk over the years. Every time I open it and the words leap from the paper like they were brand new, I smile and say, "Thank you, Jesus!"
 

Confirmation Class
Glenwood Lutheran Church
(I am bottom row, 3rd from left)

I am sad to say that even though I always had a Bible, I didn't read it from cover to cover like I do now. I was baptized, attended Sunday School, and was confirmed in the Lutheran faith. I memorized Bible verses and creeds.

Looking back, I would say I had head knowledge and was a good person. It wasn't until I faced a crisis in my faith that I turned to the Bible and began to study it. From that time forward, I was not going to take a pastor's word for what the Bible did or did not say. I was hurt and angry as I moved through the pages of the Good Book. You know what? That anger I felt in the 1990's began to dissipate and I found myself hungry to learn and grow forgetting about resentment and unforgiveness.

It's been quite a journey to walk with Jesus. He put people in my life to mentor me, guide me, and teach me (one mentor fed me book after book after book). He put the perfect combination of folks to bring me up out of the craziness of life into the light of no secrets. One night I heard a voice telling me to do three things: (1) meet with Pastor George, (2) be baptized, and (3) I would find my purpose and hope in John 21. I was obedient, and there began the transformation of my heart.

In May 2014, the Lord led me to the Open Range Cowboy Church. Halleujah! It was there that I truly found my peace. I was given a book, a journal with blank pages hand crafted by Branden (along with a feather pen). Every Sunday I filled the pages with songs and words of wisdom. At the end of 2015, My book was complete. I turned to journeyman, bookmaker, Pastor Pinner and chose a beautiful leather book in which I will record every moment in 2016 spent at the Open Range Church. To know that he made the book with his own hands and that I will fill the book by my own hand, warms my heart. I am maturing as a Christian with my arms around my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

You see, until I take my last breath, I will be learning and growing as I read and am obedient to my Father. I thank the Lord for giving me the ability to read by the age of 3. I thank my mother for taking the time to read to me and for making reading an adventure. I am grateful for the trials in my life that have kept me connected to the Bible. I lived in a Women's Shelter for 30 days in 2002 ~ what did I take with me?  A book ~ my Bible, my strength and hope.

Miss Dottie

PS  "I had a love affair with books, with chracters and their words. Books kept me company. When the voices of the book faded, as with the last long chord of a record, the back cover crinkling closed, I swear I heard a door click shut." ~Marya Hombacher

My sentiments exactly! As we part this morning, please remember that you are loved and prayed for.

PSS  I declare this read a book day. The pastor of the Open Range Church has written a book and I picked it up yesterday. Yay!!