Monday, June 02, 2008

Never Ending Story

It's funny the things that can get us reminiscing about the past. All of a sudden an aroma, a word, a song, a touch invades our thoughts and our minds drift back to a memory held forever captive in our hearts. That happened tonight for me.

I was watching a movie when an event depicted had me journeying back to a moment in my childhood. The Mom portrayed in this film was explaining to her adopted, illiterate daughter the joy of reading. My heart beat quicker with each adjective. I was one who lost herself in books as a child.

My parents took my sister and I to the Children's Library every Saturday and I can recall the anticipation of choosing stories that would transport me to another world. A land where I would become heroine - a girl of outstanding nobility and courage. I would travel to exotic places. Slay dragons. Capture thieves. Love and be loved.

I'd close my eyes and breathe in the scent of books. I would come home from the Library with my treasure, my arms holding hours of wonder and adventure. I would inhale each word. Let the book become a part of me. I would laugh, cry, turn pages in eager anticipation. I would read by flashlight under the covers when bedtime came too early and a tale still had to be told before this little girl could close her eyes and rest.

I've had a passion for words all my life. Watching "The Music Man" at every opportunity, I dreamed of becoming "Marion the Librarian". I wanted to surround myself with sentences, phrases, conjunctions, dotted "i's" and crossed "t's". Should a handsome man find me there, amongst the pages, as one found Marion, that would be wonderful too.

My dream became reality 28 years ago when my first job was working as a Library Clerk at a Children's Library. I thoroughly enjoyed each day of the twelve years I was employed there. In between doing the clerical jobs that were my responsibility, I was able to share my passion of the written word with children. Storytimes and reading clubs allowed me to remain a child myself, far past what the years would allow, opening up the hearts of children to the delight of reading.

Today I purchased a new book - a Bible study. I lingered over the artists cover design. I opened it so carefully as if holding gold, turning each page tenderly, feasting on the truths unveiled. The Scripture passages take me down roads, into far away towns. I share in the lives of Kings and paupers. I weep with those who weep and laugh with those who laugh. I read of great joys and unbearable sorrows. I meet a baby whose birth has changed my life forever.

Then, this Author, who holds pen over my life, will continue to write sentences over me. Sentences will become paragraphs. Paragraphs becoming chapters. A never-ending story that will continue for all eternity. Do the pages of my life rise as a sweet aroma to Christ? My life is to be a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on the tablet of a human heart. (2 Cor. 3:3)

Tomorrow is a blank page, a clean slate. Words wait to be written. An award winning novel, a best seller, a captivating love story between a Princess and her King. Your life is the most beautiful story being written. Surrender to His plot. Trust His conclusion. I can guarantee it will be happily every after!

11 comments:

Yolanda said...

AWESOME!

You must take this with you to the She Speaks conference!



Love,
Yolanda

Thankful said...

Joybells....you made me cry as I read this today..I just love to drink in the flavour of your writing. I read it over several times...its a beatiful tribute to your childhood and where the love of words and books really began!
Love ya kiddo!
Sis

Anonymous said...

Joy, I feel like you could have been writing about me. The joy of escape into books, into the characters, becoming them...

You are so right, Jesus is the author of my life, I have to some how let go of control and let Him write what He wills.

Like you said in your other blog, if God is my security why am I so afraid? Why do i have to keep trying to control things... He has the pen and I am the paper.
No more than the paper in my journal reach up and grab the pen from my hand, or try to control what I write, neither should I try to grab onto the pen of God, or control what He writes...
Hmmm, control and the deep feeling of the need to be in control is a major thing right now in my life.
You have spoken into it twice now today!
Love you,
Heather

Paula V said...

Beautiful. As you spoke of the smell of books, I thought I too could almost smell them. There's something about that old paper smell. The local library even has a distinct smell.

I will have to tell you the smell that brings the best memories (nothing specific though) is the smell of......
dried tobacco. I smelled it about two years ago and man did I ever want to bottle it up. Granted I'm not a smoker, never have, and can't stand it but dried tobacco. I guess I never realized the effect of my uncle cropping tobacco and drying it in his barn.

I love your last paragraph...surrender to His plot, trust in His conclusion.
Blessings,
Paula

Marilyn in Mississippi said...

Me too! Me too! Me too! I LOVE books! And pens and pencils and notebooks and doodling pads, etc., etc. Anything that has to do with reading and writing I love! I was like you....loved to go to the library when I was a little girl. When I was 8 years old my Mama had to go in the hospital for a week or so because of breast cancer surgery. I had to go about 3 hours away to stay with one of my much older brothers and his wife and two little girls. It was the first time I had ever been away from home and my parents. My wonderful and wise sister-in-law gave me some money to spend and guess what I bought? A "Bobbsey Twins" book! That kept me safely involved in the lives of the family inside the covers of the book and kept me from dwelling on what was happening in my young life.

Really enjoyed your post today Joy!

God bless,
Marilyn

Kelley said...

We continue to have much in common my friend! I loved visiting the library with my grandma when I was a little girl and I love going there still. I could spend hours in a bookstore or in the library. It is a magical place with a smell and a feeling all it's own. Some of my favorite books when I was a kid were "Encyclopedia Brown", "Nancy Drew", "Little House"....

Tracy said...

What a lovely, lovely post. How beautifully you captured that feeling I too had as a young girl, leaving the library with arms full of "treasures." To this day, there is something so special about starting a new book. What a gift!

For the first time this year, I've been reading through a daily, chronological Bible. I can't believe how much it has changed my view of the Scriptures, being able to follow and string together all the stories I've come to know and love from sermons and Bible studies.

"Your life is the most beautiful story being written. Surrender to His plot. Trust His conclusion. I can guarantee it will be happily every after!"

What an incredible thought!

Unknown said...

Oh, I so know what you mean! I love books...I get totally engrossed in the story, the characters, the place. Sigh...I love getting lost in another's story. But reality does set in when we realize what you so eloquently penned--we are writing our story every day. What will it be? I know what I want it to be...

Prayers and Blessings, my friend. You have a tremendous gift!

Rebecca

Michelle said...

Beautiful Joy!

Sita said...

So beautifully written...I believe that I read every single book in my library back in the little town where I grew up. I was officially a 'bookworm' and thought that was where I would spend my days. Alas, a gentleman thought otherwise and prayed that my affections would wander. Hence, marriage and children. But I still have to use books to know what to do with them. Sadly, I may have to write a new book. They just did not appear in the manual. Oh well...blessings to you and enjoy the conference. Sounds like you all will meet and have a blast.

Love, Sita

Carol said...

You write so beautifully! You also sound like me! I, too, love words. Some of my fondest childhood memories are going to the library. My mom would take us at the beginning of every summer. I can so relate to the smell of all of those books! Ahhh!