My Little Library

Just suppose that my life experiences were written as little books and kept safely somewhere within my being. I have a whole little library inside me! Some of the books are dusty; I don't look at them very often. Others are well-thumbed, used on a regular basis. Here is a sampling.

There are several big, thick reference books detailing some of my hard-won lessons. If I didn't keep them handy, I might repeat some of the mistakes that taught those lessons. There are finance books in that section of my little library, books on personal relationships and parenting, books on sane Christian living.

I have some fine travel books with many pictures: the Washington countryside as it looks from a hot air balloon, the massive faces of Mt. Rushmore, the art in the shops and gardens along Canyon Road in Santa Fe, winter camping at the edge of the Grand Canyon, the blue of the Caribbean Sea, the special retreat place at Prairie Oasis.

There are adventure books about my experiences among Native Americans in South Dakota, of live-in ministry in Jamaica, and a foreign adoption completed in Honduras.

How-to books are in another section: How to churn butter or make a corncob doll, build a shed or paint a house, crochet an afghan, lead a group discussion, ride a train from here to over yonder, plan a funeral.

A couple of romances are in my library, but nothing exotic. Still, they are memorable and I will always have a place for them on my shelves.

A few fantasy books are included—or maybe they're not fantasy after all. Maybe they will yet turn out to be true! (No science fiction, though.)

Family stories abound of happy times at reunions, of what might be called "search-and-rescue" missions, of sharing our losses in Kansas and Washington and Texas and Georgia, of rejoicing in our blessings.

History and biography and genealogy are found in my little library too. My Amish/Mennonite grandfather's story is in a little book, and the birth of the Wonder Baby, and the accomplishments of my siblings. The details of my career choices are kept there, along with my moves from one part of the country to another.

There aren't any joke books as such, but lots of little books of humor. One is called "Launching the Goose," another is "I Don't Want to Be at This Rest Stop," and still another, "What It Was Was Football, as Told by Lloyd."

I have a few self-help books, and I keep them because they were put in my library by other people: an exceptional pastor; a couple of wise, professional counselors; the Dear Dr., special friends who challenge me to become more than I expect of myself.

My little library has devotional classics too, "classic" because they have stood the test of time, that is to say, my own lifetime. I turn to these books often.

The thing is, I keep adding to my library. Isn't that exciting?

Look inside yourself. You probably have a little library in there too!

MaryMartha

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/