a life cut short

A few days ago I found a blog about a little boy in Texas who had a brain tumor. He was 7 months old when it was diagnosed and he lost his battle today. The journey his parents traveled over the past 3 weeks is one that no parents should ever have to find themselves along. I am impressed with how they handled it and what amazing parents they were in the last few weeks of his far too short life. When they decided to take him home for what turned out to be the last few days of his life, and not do any treatment, that was the most courageous things they could have done. They chose comfort for their son, to be at home and not in a hospital surrounded by machines. To be with his parents and family and not constantly surrounded by doctors and nurses. They made the hardest decision seem so easy and right. I know that it will not be an easy journey for them over the next days, weeks, months or even years but they can be sure that they did everything possible for their son, including the wisdom to choose a few quality days with their son instead of prolonging his pain. My heart breaks for them tonight. I do not know these people, but I can say that I admire them. They gave their son a birthday party at 37 weeks because they knew he would not make it to his first birthday. They filled his last days with love and for that they can be sure. They were the best parents for that little boy.

Brain tumors are not supposed to happen to babies. They are too innocent to have anything like that invade their lives, and yet it occurs. This little boy, James, was 8 months old. He spent more time in his mother's womb than he did as a child on this earth. So tonight I pray for all the children who are fighting for their lives because of some disease. I pray for their parents and families who are watching as their child fights for his or her life. And I pray that James's parents will find comfort and peace soon. 

A love affair with reading

I have to say that my love affair with reading began at an early age. I loved for one of my parents to read me a bedtime story or take time during the day to sit down a flip through a book with me. That grew into a passion for reading that will probably last a lifetime. As a child books were wonderful things that took me different places, far away lands with happy endings and towns where I wished I lived. Books were my way escaping real life back then and it was nice to be able to go to a place where life was not complicated. There was a time when my parents would punish me for reading when I should have been doing chores or homework. They actually took away books when I was in trouble, and I'm not sure I have met another person who was punished like that. Yet in college I had to put my books on hold and focus on my classes.

The problem for me is that when I get a new book I must read it as soon as possible. I cannot wait a week and dislike having to wait a day to begin. My first reading is a fairly quick one, as I want to know the plot and the characters and find out what happens ASAP. But the second and third and fourth readings are in-depth and take days. I get lost in the plot, and forget the world around me. If the book is long enough and I invest enough, I tend to begin the think that the characters are real and the events of the book are actually taking place. It can take me a while to surface again after having been in whatever book I was reading. I have ignored friends, homework, family, and boyfriends for the sake of a book.

I just recently re-discovered this passion, as I am out of college now and have the time to read a good novel. So I am re-reading a few books that I did not have the time to properly devote to them before. Books I wanted during college and was only able to give them a quick read. I am now able to go back and delve into the worlds created by some of my favorite authors and get lost in the southerness of the books. Right now the world Pat Conroy has created in "South of Broad" is my alternate universe and I am learning all the side stories as well as I am learning the plot. When I am finished I will be able to recount the story over and over, to the point that if I ever find myself thinking about the book, I can find that part and read on.

I am told that my parents worried about me learning to read when I was in the first grade. It seems that I did not catch on as fast as they wanted me to, but when I did begin to read I went through every book in the classroom three times and was in the second grade reader by the end of the year. Pretty good for starting my true love affair with reading after Christmas break. So it continues today, to the point that I collect books by my favorite authors and could fill multiple bookcases with the books I own. I truly hope I will always have this love affair with reading, for it is one of the best joys in the world.