A Life Long Love for Literacy

Have you ever sat back and thought about your literate journey? I do. Often.

I was so into my reading material that I couldn’t be bothered with posing for a picture.

I pre-date the Internet and Your Baby Can Read programs. I learned to read using the old Dick, Jane, and Spot books while I was a youngin’ at Pleasant Wood Christian School in Dallas. Once I learned to read, a whole new world opened up for me, which was vital to a poor kid like me. My parents couldn’t send us to summer camps nor take us on fancy vacations, but they could send us to the library. My siblings and I would read books and magazines all day, then check out a stack when Dad would pick us up.

There were times when we didn’t have cable, but we had books. The weather wasn’t always agreeable, but we had books. I traveled the world through courtesy of library books. I chose my own adventures and helped solve Encyclopedia Brown’s cases through books. I had a front-row seat to Archie and the Riverdale gang through books. And I’ve carried that love of reading with me ever since then.

Now, I can pay for cable, but I would much rather read than watch television or movies. And if I travel, not only do I carry books with me, but I also find an independently owned bookstore and pick up at least one book (I especially love when the bookstore has a store stamp). When I get overwhelmed with the obligations of life, I pick up a book to center myself. Reading has given me a life-long love of words, and emotions, expressions, culture. It’s made me compassionate, understanding, and wiser.

I feel quite passionate about literacy. My heart breaks when I hear someone say they don’t like to read. I actually take that as a challenge because I believe the aliterate just haven’t found the right book. If, by some force of God and the ancestors, you’ve stumbled upon this blog and you are able yet unwilling to read, let me know so I can help you along your literacy journey!