I'm a life-long bibliophile. Love books. It started with my mother who belonged to the Book of the Month Club. I got to read almost all of them, often before she did. In college, I became an English major. Couldn't get enough of literature in its many forms.
In my profession, I always felt it vitally important to buy and read books - both classics and modern. Every new interest that fell to me along the way headed me for the bookstore. A new collection of relevant books. You get the picture.
I ended up with a library of thousands of books. Each time we moved, I worked up courage to divest myself of a few hundred books. Of course, these were soon replaced as we went along. I was addicted - of course in a highly practical sense.
When I retired, I donated hundreds of religious books to churches and seminaries. This was painful. It also was revealing. The books I kept probably told more about me than the ones I gave away. Some books were so much part of my soul that I simply could not give them away.
When we moved into this smaller home, I really had to give away cartons of books. We were in a rush, so it wasn't as traumatic as it had often been before. When the smoke cleared, I still found myself with three large bookshelves full of good books - plus several cartons of unpacked literary treasures.
A few weeks ago I gave away a couple of boxes of books to the new Colonnade library. Then I sat down and went through the remaining library and pruned some more. Only the closest to my heart remained.
Now I am launching out on a slow, but wonderfully fulfilling project. One by one, author by author, I am rereading the sacred remnant. Maybe 500 books. When I finish a book, I give it away; unless! Unless I can't! Then it goes back on the shelf, to be treasured and loved a bit longer.
It is a life-long love I have. Books. Yes, books.
