Opportunity

Jeremiah 29:11

Jan. 18, 2007 - Opportunity
The winter months provide a much needed break for the Brown clan. Spring, Summer and Fall are all very busy sport seasons, adventure seasons, school start up ... any number of things get in the way of pleasure reading! So ... as the beginning of the year approached I was reading Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal ... I was thinking somewhat alphabetically. It was during this time that I decided that it worked out wonderfully that there are 52 weeks in the year, 26 Letters in the alphabet ... and that would be the start for my reading goals for he year ... An 'a' title and an 'a' author, b, c and so on and I found it challenging, but slightly confining to try to do it in order, so I adjusted my goal to just fill in the list! This only includes personal reading, not reading done as aloud reading for school (though that does bring me much pleasure as well)!
A- My Father's Summers by Kathi AppeltB-c-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z-
TITLE LIST
A- A Fall Together by Jennifer O'NeillB-c-D- Daughters of Memories by Janis ArnoldE-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z-
The impact of my goal was interesting. My 11 year old was shocked when on one afternoon I scrambled through an entire book (partially due to it's depressing tone and my inability to just set it aside) in a couple of hours. So he decided to see how quickly he could finish the book he was reading (the classic The Day My Butt Went Psycho ... ). Shocking himself, he finished up the next day ... which catapulted him into the READING ZONE ... In a week he has devoured Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, the first two Lemony Snicket books and the batteries in a book light on his bedrail. When I found him huddled into his covers at 1am, booklight shining through his comforter ... I could not help but shout within my own soul ... knowing that if he'd had to rise at 6am for public school, I would have had to stop him ... as it was, he could read to the end of the chapter and sleep in an extra hour. The look on his face reminded me of the joy that reading was as a child ... it wasn't simply something to do help me "wind down" at the end of a day ... or a way to escape the laundry ... or an alternative since there wasn't a game on (I watch zero primetime tv, but love sports of all kinds!) ...
And then the answer came ...
When AJ shouted from the shower Tuesday morning, "Mom, can I take my book with me in the car? I can't wait to see what Count Olaf is doing! Why am I inclined to spend all my time reading right now?" (direct quote) ... I was reminded and able to share with him the truth ... that a good book is like a friend that you can't wait to spend time with, discover something new about, laugh with, cry with, makes you consider, makes you wonder ... makes you, well, somehow better.
Be encouraged! It has been a long 11 year effort to bring AJ to enjoy books as much as I do(his baby shower was a children's book shower) ... there have been glimpses of it along the way ... but also times I've felt like a failure and terrible influence because of my own lack of making time for 'just because' reading.
Any reading suggestions are welcome!