Windows To The World

In the last few years, I have seen the potential of death infect so many of my friends, via heart attacks, breast cancer, etc.; as it creeps in and takes control of their bodies. I have seen too many children taken long before I or anyone else was ready; which certainly shines a light on just how fragile life can be. A year or so ago I made one of the most serious decisions of my life; however putting it into motion would prove to be the hardest part.

I love the smell, the feel and the sheer power of what is inside; the places you can see and experience and never leave your home. The emotional gamut one can feel from head to toe, the exhilaration of happiness and desperate sadness.  With no help from anyone else, you can experience these feelings all on your own; if you know how. If you are brave enough to discover the secret to the most private of places to go.

I attended a baby shower last week, and one of the requests in the original invitation was that books for the baby were more than welcome as gifts! How refreshing to know that another mother, a very young mother, has the same ideas of the perfect beginning of childbirth as I do, as I did, all those years ago.

I read to both of my children long before they ever saw this place we call our world.  While they were still safe and secure, swaddled more warmly than if they were in their own favorite squishy blanket that they would later drag around for months; I would read stories of nothing but beauty, sweetness, compassion and laughter; all the things that we always want them to know about.  To this day, both of my children love the written word, and though they read very different genres of material, one loves fiction, the other non-fiction; they both like the places words will take them on a lazy Sunday afternoon when the rain is pouring down and nothing but a couch, a blanket and a good book will do.

Last Spring, I finally made the first step. I bought three books for my first “installment” to the Grandbaby book collection. I have no idea when I'm going to have grandchildren; most likely not anytime soon, but I am dang sure banking on it. But I also have to know I can still be a part of all that goodness should I not be here when it happens. As we all get older and health issues arise, it has become crystal clear to me, that being prepared is so much smarter than being left out.

My book collection count is now up to sixteen. I’ll of course write inscriptions inside the covers just in case, but I sure plan on being here to watch those beautiful faces and their expressions of joy as I round up my “Miss Walt Disney” voices, get in character, and read.