Fat Old Mom's Wit and Wisdom (as inspired by God)

Come here to read the humorous spiritual rantings of a Fat Old Mom who thinks she has something to say.

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Location: Hennepin, Illinois, United States

I am a happy, healthy Christian Mom of 2 (or 3 depending on how you look at it). I love animals, helping others and serving God in whatever capacity He calls me to do so. Fat Old Moms was a term born of a desire to define this season of my life. My girlfriends and I go on an annual 'Fat Old Moms' weekend where we leave our husbands and children and explore ourselves and return to 'chick' status for a couple of days. We seek Christian influence in each other, but also allow ourselves to BE ourselves.

Friday, February 03, 2006

The Joy of Reading

I have recently rediscovered the joy of reading. As a child, I read voraciously. I devoured books a dozen at a time and was always the winner in my class for the number of pages, or number of books read for the year. And it was always a landslide. My favorite books were long and detailed and gave accurate mental images of the landscape and characters. I was not deterred by the fact there were no pictures, and the more words, the better. I could conjur up images and create alternate realities by entering the worlds my books provided for me.

And then I grew up and reality struck...When my college days dawned, I had textbooks to read. After college, there was work. Darn the dollar and the need for it to survive. Once motherhood hit, I didn't read anything more descriptive that the back of a cereal box or the instructions for some noisy toy that needed parts and batteries. As the years progressed, I did graduate to some 'Sam I Am' and 'Dick and Jane', but that's about as far as I got.

So for the past 11 years, it has been my unwritten goal to get 1...yes 1...entire book read every year. I usually accomplish this task on vacation. I pick one book that might interest me, and I cling to it during my 'down time' and try to soak in as much knowledge as I can. I don't read for pleasure any more. I read with aggression. I want to better myself- so one year I read a self help book. I want to be smarter, so one year the book had to do with mental challenges. No longer do I allow myself the luxury of escaping into literature. Now I use it as a tool, but I don't like the hard edges!

No longer is reading an experience of cuddling up on the couch with a cozy blanket. It is a goal. Something to be overcome. It's a mark on a chart of progress. There are no soft edges to it. It is a duty...an obligation. I didn't like my new attitude about reading. Life sucked the fun out of it (isn't life like that with a LOT of things?)

When I felt God calling me to write, I sought the wise counsel of other writers. One suggested I read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It is sort of an instruction manual for writers. The odd thing is, this man hardly knew me, but felt I would appreciate her. Less than a week later, another man who hardly knew me suggested the very same book and had a copy to loan me.

Now if you go ahead and pick up an Anne Lamott book, and know me even the foggiest bit, you will know why I love her writing so much. I still haven't figured out why the men who suggested her like her. They are both men of the cloth, and she can be a bit....gritty. She is real. She is honest. She tells it like it is and doesn't pull any punches....and she has a very weird sense of humor! She also uses a tad bit of foul language (but I have not conquered that demon within myself quite yet- so I guess I am a bit forgiving with that aspect of her writing.)

Not only have I read one book- but I've actually finished two, and in less time than a calendar year! And I did it in a comfy blanket , cat at my feet, warm lighting, in the corner of my couch, after the kids had gone to bed and I enjoyed myself!!! I was inspired to rush to my computer and Google her and then explore e-bay in an attempt to OWN her. I want to make notes in the margins and absorb every word at my leisure.

So often in my faith journey, I find it difficult to sit and quiet myself enough to read the REALLY Good Book. I know it is full of drama and suspense and romance and mystery, but I often put other things first. I struggle with my inability to read words that I know will encourage and uplift me. Those words will challenge me to be a better person and instruct me in the ways I should go, but I can rely on them for hope, entertainment and most of all...enjoyment. I think we just need to train ourselves to enjoy reading again. God has some really good material!

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