Living in a library

It is a long standing family joke that we live in a library. John's extensive study library has been his answer to seminary, our many children's books the answer to living where there was no public library to speak of and books on spirituality, family issues and peacemaking my answer to an unquenchable thirst to learn in those areas. Browsing bookstores is a family tradition, buying a book a treat, reading a book a delight, getting rid of a book really hard.

Since moving to Santa Barbara, we have been renting office space, which we have used as classroom, dorm room for pastors at the post grado and library. Unfortunately, the office has flooded several times (books and water are not a good combination). That, and the several other factors convinced us that it is time to give up the office, and bring "everything" to the house.

Actually bringing "everything" to the house would have meant that we wouldn`t have had room to live in the house, so we have started the process of sorting out what we really need and what we could send on to a new home. We've done everything from getting rid of an extra bed to getting rid of extra tupperware. Little by little, the library is getting weeded out. Every box of books sent to a new home has meant saying goodbye to old friends. With bookshelves on just about every available wall, our house does still, indeed, look like a library. A more streamlined library, perhaps, but still pretty significant in an age when a lot of people don`t seem to read much at all.

One of my favorite quotes on reading is from Mark Twain who said, "he who does not read has no advantage or he who cannot read." Books have challenged me to keep thinking and learning. Books have helped me see beyond the boundaries of my somewhat limited experience to understand the world beyond my vision. Books have made me laugh and cry. They have made me angry, filled me with awe, put me to sleep, wakened me to something new. I like turning the pages. I like reading in the house, in the car, under a tree, at the beach, in waiting rooms. I especially like reading with children. I do not mind at all living in a library.