Take a Look, it's in a Book

The last few posts have had a lot to do with my issues surrounding my dad's death and a lot of the things I don't remember about him, but I do have a legacy of his embedded in me, and that is my love of reading/Literature. I, like my dad, have the ability to read 4 or 5 books at a time. Although the majority of my memories of my dad are vague, one thing I vividly remember are the stack of books that sat on his night stand. I am also blessed in the fact that my mother is also an avid reader, but my mom says my ability to read several books at a time comes from my dad. Anyway, I remember the first book I read was Goldilocks and the Three Bears, well...maybe I just had it memorized but I still count that as my first book. I also think my love of reading lies in the fact that my parents were wonderful enough to ALWAYS read to me when I was little, along with my sisters. My love for reading skyrocketed after my dad's passing; I escaped through every book. For just a few minutes I was able to get out of my head and go into a world all of my own. To this day when I'm feeling really anxious I still pick up a book and read. Lately though I've been reading Christian fiction/books, but this summer I conquered Gone With the Wind, and dang, I can't believe I waited 20 years to read that book. Let me give you an indication of how much I love to read/how much I do read: since May, I've read 14 books, including the 1400+ page Gone With the Wind.

I guess it was no surprise to anyone that I'd want to be a teacher. It gets frustrating when I tell people I want to be a teacher and they tell me "Oh...are you sure? It's hard." Excuse my juvenile thought process in my head "like no, duh." Granted I know I have NO idea how hard it will be until I get there, but God has put me on this path and it's a career I carefully consider and often ask Him "are you sure I can handle this?" and every day I'm met with "yes, little one, I've given this to you for a reason." When people ask me why I want to be a teacher, of course my first response is to touch lives, but I always want to show students the INCREDIBLE worlds that exist outside our own, all contained in one simple word: Literature. Books, books, and more books. Books are an escape, a coping mechanism, and quite the adventures. One minute you're in the depths and anguish of the Civil War with Scarlett O'Hara, the next you're going down a river with Huck Finn, and another moment you're with Elizabeth Benet in England. Oh the wonders of this incredible world! Clearly, I love books, and I dream of having a library in my house some day. I have too many pins on Pinterest of home libraries that I drool over. I can't even study in UGA's main library on any floor other than the first where there are no books because otherwise I'm too overwhelmed and just want to roam the shelves. Put me in a bookstore and I'm there for hours. I walk in, take a deep breath, smell that book-y smell, and I'm in my own heaven on earth. Please pardon my complete nerd moment I just had, but that's what I want to show students. How books can save your life. It doesn't matter where you are, you can get away, and it's as easy as picking up some pages bound together. 

Lately I've been thinking about a bucket list...I mean I'm 20 and have the whole world ahead of me, and one thing I've realized I really, truly want to do is write a book. I would love to be an English teacher for some time, have babies, then become an author (obviously the plan is husband first, babies second, but you get the idea). I guess this thing on the bucket list still depends on me getting my bachelor's and master's degrees, but a girl can dream. It kind of scares me to think about doing something like that, but I know God will see me through if it's part of His plan- we shall see. 

Prayers are much appreciated as I'm facing some big times of change in my life, and change is something I greatly struggle with. 

As always...

Smile, God loves you

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

-Romans 8:28