We’ve said our final farewell to 2020… such a memorable year! Have you kept an updated journal, did as much as possible for yourself, and followed the rules as best you could? Have you remembered to have a thankful heart when you wake up every morning?
We don’t have a big house, but during of weeks of ‘isolation’, I started to visit the room at the end of the hall that isn’t used very much, except to stash items that I won’t often need or even look at. It is our ‘Library’, initially intended to be my office. It’s a nice room, has a couple of comfortable chairs and a TV that isn’t hooked up now. The closet was “converted” to a small desk, but not big enough to accommodate the stuff that I like to have within my reach when I’m using my computer. During our times of “isolation", and trying to entertain myself during the day, I decided to try and tidy our collection of books and music. Even though I now prefer to read on my tablet, Kobo reader, or computer because of the challenges of my “senior” vision, many of the titles brought back wonderful memories of past delights. I’ve never been much of a fan of fiction novels, but delight in personal life experiences written and published by gifted authors who can be referred to as ‘word-smiths’!
Because I enjoy good humor (without the use of common ‘4-letter’ expletives), I spotted a collection of books by Erma Brombeck, such as ‘The Grass Is Always Greener Over The Septic Tank’. That was a prize, being that we were new to ‘country living’ without the services of city utilities. I have several books by Peter Jenkins, best known for his first book (I think), titled ‘A Walk Across America’, followed by ‘A Walk West’ and ‘The Road Unseen’. I’ve never been much of a “walker”, preferring to ride whatever mode of transportation was available, so to look at the world through Peter Jenkin’s eyes was a real treat. A series of books (‘All Things Bright & Beautiful’, ‘All Things Great & Small’, and ‘All Things Wise & Wonderful’ ) by the animal veterinarian, James Herriott, became even more special when we were able to visit his clinic in Thirsk, England. We were also introduced to Michael Palin while travelling, and have collected several of his travel picture books, including ‘The New Europe’, that are now great reminders of places that we have been privileged to visit in person, or still have in our “Bucket List”. Being a “Royalist” most of my life, my collection of table-top books on the Royal Family has overflown to a cardboard box in the storage garage. My husband enjoys biographies, and anything that supports his two major hobbies… vintage tractors and collectible telephones.
A large section in our library covers meaningful subjects in our spiritual journey, by authors you may recognize. Lee Strobel, started his series of books with ‘A Case for Christ’, Donald Miller wrote ‘Blue Jazz’, and an early book by Phillip Yancy is ‘What’s So Amazing About Grace?’. We also have books by C.S. Lewis, Max Lucado, Josh McDowel, and Brian McLaren… all with thought-provoking and challenging topics.
I’ve written enough for this week, and will be working on Part 2 for next week, or whenever I am able to be here on The Hill. In the meantime, be well... stay safe... and remember to be thankful.
Life could be a lot worse!
Tags: Books Travel Library Collections
