Gratitude - Day 12 - Books

Books, books, and more books, at the Chamblin Book Mine, Jacksonville, FL

I'm thankful for books, and for a mother who read to me as a child.  She was an avid reader, and passed her love of books on to me. My favorite book, as a child, was 365 Bedtime Stories, about children who lived on What A Jolly Street.  I enjoyed  the book so much, I wore it out, and my mother bought a second copy.  I read that one till it fell apart, too. I remember learning how to read, and my excitement at being able to recognize words.  That love of reading and books has stayed with me to this day.

Because I grew up in alcoholism through my teen years, my parents were mostly unavailable or not much inclined to talk about my concerns or problems.  I leaned heavily on books for guidance.  I remember going to the local public library every Saturday to read and check out books to help me understand my parents.  I have a vivid memory of sitting in the library, reading a book that helped me realize my parents were very sick people.  It helped.

When I married at seventeen to get away from home, I read books on how to have a successful marriage.  When I became a new mother, four years later, I read books on how to take care of babies.  As my children grew up, I read books on parenting.  Always, always, in addition to The Bible, I turned to books for instruction for how to live my life.

For many years, I worked as a church librarian, and I loved the work so much.  I also had a Christian used book store for a short time.  It was not a success because the principle of trading didn't work well for me.  I found that while people were willing to buy the books, they didn't want to trade or sell them.  The reason?  Most people like to keep their Judeo-Christian books.  Oh well, I can certainly relate, being a book hoarder myself.

Yes, I confess to being a book hoarder.  My husband is, too.  Put two book hoarders together, and you have a recipe for disaster.  Our office overflows with books....into the bedroom...into the living room.  You get the idea.  We have a ton of books.I don't know who originally said this, but I totally agree:  "When I have a little bit of money, I buy books."  We love to go to our library's semi-annual book sales, and also buy used books at garage sales, thrift stores and used book stores.

Our favorite used book store is in Jacksonville, Florida.  If you ever get the chance, you must visit the Chamblin Book Mine.  I started going to the store back in the 80's when it was just a small store in the Riverside area of Jacksonville's West Side.  Now the main store is in a former grocery store with over an acre of rows and rows of books.  It is my idea of heaven on earth, and I have spent hours and days exploring those stacks.  They opened a second store in down-town Jacksonville, which is near the main public library.  Going to either store is a delightful experience for a book lover.

My favorite book, other than the Bible, is Streams in the Desert, by Mrs. Charles Cowman.  I have worn out several copies of this book, since I've been using it as a daily devotional since the 70's.  The mixture of stories and poetry helped  build my faith, and also influenced my writing, art and poetry.  I read mostly non-fiction, as you might have surmised.  I love this quote, no matter what genre I lean toward at the moment:

“Be careful what books you read, 

for as water tastes of the soil it runs though,

 so does the soul taste of the authors that a man reads.”

- John Trapp, English Puritan

I'd love to hear from you, dear Gail-Friends, about your favorite books, as I'm always looking for another good read.

I'm linking up today to: 
Titus 2 Tuesday

Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

 On Your Heart Tuesday

Teach Me Tuesday
Artful Tuesday

 WisdomWednesdays

Word Filled Wednesday

Winsome Wednesday

A Wise Woman Builds  

Thankful  Thursdays

 Thought Provoking Thursday



Faith Filled Friday

and Spiritual Sundays