Books: Lifeline in Shared Words
There is a thing that happens to me sometimes three pages, perhaps even three chapters into a new book. If the book resonates with me, it is the moment of the fall. Swept up in the characters or the plot, I hit upon a trigger that makes me think of someone else—someone who might similarly connect with the story. As soon as that, the book takes on a lifeline. I get the tingle of excitement knowing that it will be passed on and (hopefully) appreciated.
Perhaps you do the same, too—connect books with readers, help write the lineage of a book’s readership.
My grandfather often sent a grocery bag full of books he read back home with my dad when we visited. Those books were read and divvied out to other readers. Several people in my family have their own traditions of passing along books as well. Visits with my aunt and uncle typically result in a list of recommended reads. These books tend to come up in discussion when we reunite. My mom thoughtfully gifts books to family and friends. My uncle on the other side typically gifts musical compilations, which I love. But he shared Rainer Maria Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, with me when I was deep in grief. Neither of us needed to be connected to a specific faith to feel the impact of such poems. By the time our daughter was born, friends and neighbors had gifted us with an ENTIRE library of children's books to kick-start her reading habit. Unbelievable generosity.
These are #IntentionalActsofWords. Actually, they are gifts of words, too. I look at my book shelves and I see dozens of people who have thoughtfully shared meaningful words with me. There is something profoundly personal and impactful in the gift of reading. Keep the words flowing. Keep extending the lifeline of the books you love, or feel others will benefit from.