Who I Am

Yesterday we went to the library for storytime, as is our custom every other week. At one point, all the kids were "going on a bear hunt" and wandering through the shelves of the children's section led by the librarian, with the parents meandering behind. As I walked past one particular shelf, a familiar book cover caught my eye; and I quickly reached out and grabbed the book. Ah, an old friend--a book by Louisa May Alcott called An Old-Fashioned Girl.

I have no idea how old I was when I first read that book, but I do remember being so fond of it...and as I brought it home yesterday and devoured it both yesterday and today (finishing it just a little while ago), I was reminded of why I loved it so much.

The experience of finding that book again also brought to my mind again how much my identity was formed by the books I read. The shaping of my mind, my heart, my soul, my worldview, my behavior, my expectations from life, etc. was influenced so heavily by books. I'm sure I don't even understand this fully, and I certainly can't put it into words. But a deep sense of gratitude overwhelmed me as I realized again how blessed I was, as a child, to be read to, and then later to read so much by myself...and how blessed I was to be surrounded by such good literature. I don't mean the Greek classics or even Shakespeare, though I've done my fair share of that kind of reading. I do, however, mean stories that enlighten, inspire, and awake a deep desire to be like Jesus--even if they never mention His name.

An Old-Fashioned Girl was one of those books--not a religious book, but an uplifting story that made a lasting impact on many areas of my life. To mention just one example, in the book, we see two families, quite different from each other. In one family, the siblings argue and fight and generally cut each other down; in the other family, the siblings care for each other, serve each other, have fun together, and generally become each other's best friends. I am sure that the seeds of love for my siblings that were planted very early in my life were well-watered as I read this book. The result? A friendly relationship with all my siblings, and a particularly close relationship with my brother David who is closest in age to me (he's 2 years older). That relationship, left to the natural laws of selfish human nature, could have become an adversarial one, filled with tension and meanness. Instead, we grew up the best of friends, learning together, playing together, sharing our hearts with each other, leaning on each other in times of difficulty. When I see my children together, I can only wish that they will enjoy a sibling relationship as good as the one I had/have with my brother.

I could mention so many other examples of how books have shaped who I am. But this reminder--though small--has filled me with a determination to surround my children with good books...and to always be vigilant about what kind of influences shape my children's early years. Because those influences will literally affect them for the rest of their lives.