Oh
JanRN, what a lovely tribute to your Mom ... and what a thoughtful decision you made to ask for the donations to the library.
A thought provoking discussion this is ... I was NOT a reader! My Mother was a teacher, and despite that, we were never overly encouraged. Actually, if we were reading, (other than for homework), we'd often be told to get up and do something. I remember one time when wanting a book to be told, "when you finish reading all the books up in the book case, then you can". It was 4 shelves, about 30" and none of the books had all the flash and colour that my friends had at school. Old books. Tattered books. Certainly not inviting and intriguing tio a kid!! Books from when my parents went to school? There was one ancient Bobbsey Twins book ... I eagerly read it. Meanwhile all the kids had the pretty modern BT books. Then the Nancy Drews with the yellow and black covers. I got one, once for Christmas which I treasured ... and classmates had everyone! I hated reading for book reports. I have often wondered why she was not more encouraging towards reading?
And another interesting trivia bit ... are you all familiar with Lucy Maude Montgomery famed for Anne of Green Gables? Her husband was the Minister at my Dad's church when he was a teen and she directed them in plays. Dad always revered LM (that's what they called her!) and when we went to PEI on holidays, we visited her home. And yet ... I was never given an Anne book to read, not even as a souvernir on our holidays. Alas! After being married and we started farming on our own we were right near where LM lived and wrote. It nawed at me and I purchased the first book. An adult reading a kids story! As I finished one, I read the next .... finally the whole series. Oh how I love seeing the play live .... or the TV versions! Again, more questions that make me wonder about my parents missing this in my life?
While working in business, I took a speed reading course and "learned" how to read! Amazing! I started to love reading for work (ugh!) and pleasure ... and not just fluffy books, but heavy duty stuff! I became a voracious reader and was always reading anything and everything. Now, since my eye problems, not so much ... just a harder thing to do and less enjoyable. Though I pretty much inhale MacLeans when it arrives and still the breed magazines (farm talk, ladies!) Although, once in awhile, my nose gets in a books and I'm gone again!