reading and writing and…that’s what’s important to me

This evening I was in my basement digging around for something or other, and I came across a box containing my old books from childhood. Flipping through, I saw so many old familiar favorites and was brought back to my memories of sharing reading time with my mother. She instilled a love for reading in me as long ago as I can remember, and it has been an integral part of me ever since.

I have many memories of sitting with her while she read me book after book. I also would love it when she would make up stories, especially at bedtime. I actually looked forward to going to sleep because of storytime.

My favorite thing she would do was the character voices. Even though I know she didn’t sound exactly like them, to my little ears they were perfect, and I was thrilled when she would incorporate the characters into the stories.

What sticks out the most were her Sesame Street voices. I was a huge fan, I loved the show and had tons of books of Sesame Street stories, and I got the hugest kick out of Mom’s Elmo or Grover impersonations. “I furry little Grover…” :-)

I know that my early exposure to books and stories has hugely influenced my love for reading and writing now. I read everything I can get my hands on. Though I don’t do much with creative/fictional writing, I expose myself to all kinds of writing in both non-fiction works and fiction, and I know I pick up on words, phrasing and styles because of that.

I will always be an active advocate for words, both in reading and writing. I always encourage reading, and one of the things I love most is to write. Perhaps my passion for writing could be a topic for another day but in the meantime, thank you Mom for setting me on the right path.