Reading to Explore ME

I always have loved books. I am not really sure where this love came from. I do not remember my Parents owning much for books. Nor any of my Grandparents. The Library at School always fascinated me. I even volunteered while in High School. I remember feeling a sense of belonging there. The Librarian was a mother of some of my classmates and was always a "Mom" to all who entered her Schoolroom. I never followed up on that love for some reason. I am really not sure why. Fear again I would imagine. I am still not a fast reader, and sometimes I have to read a passage again to get the full meaning. I enjoy reading about people's real lives...what struggles Life has handed them and how they managed to get through them. I never really liked Fiction until recently. Now it is intriguing me, for it can lead me to places in the World I will never see in person. One Author I really enjoy reading is Richard Paul Evans. His novels are simply written, yet the words flow from his pen so easily. I can become immersed in the world he creates, even becoming the hero or heroine. It has become a great escape for me to read his novels. He puts words on the page the way I would like to do. I have been finding books to read almost by accident recently. I just finished reading the story Johnny Cash wrote in 1997, several years before he and June passed away in 2003. He only lived 4 months after she died in surgery. I also enjoy listening to their music. She was a wonderful person who was able to become a partner and friend to John. His life was as tumultuous as hers became when she married him. They must have had a really big jumbled up Family together. If you want a good simple read, pick up his book. I bought the paperback on a sale rack in Menards one day about a month ago. I could not put it down. It gives a person a bit better feel for what traumas and the passion with which they lived. True, great Rags to Riches tale. Now I want to read more about Roseanne, John Carter, Carleen and all the rest of the Family. It is a true Family story. They just happened to become famous or infamous, depending on how you look at it. They continued to tour up until Health issues side-lined them both in about 1997, the year the book was written. His Faith never faltered, even through the dark days he lived. He found a true Angel and Partner in June. I would imagine they are singing in Heaven these days, to another full house! I wonder if my Mom is there with them? Yet another good feeling to feel. Now I begin to Read Jane Fonda's Memoir called "My Life So Far". She is older than I realized. She is nearly 70. Her Life is sad, interesting, and a true "woman's" story. It shows that even when you are a role model, actress, activist, you still may not know yourself or face yourself in the Mirror very well. She now does, and it is a very interesting read. I am glad I did not wait to buy it at the second hand store. She is inspiring me. She always has. I used to envy her, no longer. She is doing as we all do, the best she can at the time with the knowledge she has earned as she ages gracefully. This is important to me in that it shows how fallible we all are, even when the "cover" is put into place very well. Now she is not afraid to let it all out there. I wonder what book will speak to me next? I have enough of them on my bookshelf to keep me busy for a very long time. Now my goal is to not feel guilty spending the time writing and reading. It is important to my well being that I do so. Now to make others understand that. Remember if and when you do read to take what you read as it is, not as if it were the Bible. Books are just that, one person's opinions of the world and Life. Decide for yourself what will work for you and go forward with that knowledge. Apply what you can to your Life and discard the things that are detrimental to your well being. No Person is Perfect. For now, take care and enjoy Life, too soon it will be over! Hug yourself from me, then hug yourself again, you deserve it! Katie