A Special Book

I lovingly dedicate this post to my mother, Lucy.

This past Monday I went to the library with Jeremiah and found one of my all-time favorite childhood picture books: Miss Rumphius was one of my mother's favorites, still is I am sure. My love of beautiful picture books (as well as any kind of reading material) comes directly from her. She showered me and my sister with all kinds of fun and inspiring stories to journey into while reading during the day or at bedtime in bed all together. I started reading on my own pretty young and I am a little sad I didn't let my mom read more to me as I grew older, but I definitely remember her reading this book to us. I am enjoying looking over the pretty pastel-colored pictures and dreaming of what my life would have been if I were Miss Rumphius, like I used to do when I was young.
Jeremiah is still too little to understand this book (too many words! I had a hard time finding books he could sit through...Eric Carle's books are the best so far...we are now into reading "Head to Toe" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar.").But reading has now become a big part of our routine. J still takes two naps usually, in the morning and afternoon, and we read one book every time unless we are really cranky and need to get in bed tout de suite. In the evening at bedtime we read one book and then another special one, that mom knows by heart now: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Few times I have substituted it with "Time to Sleep" by Mem Fox, and as he grows older I might tend to change more often, but this is our staple now, like a goodnight lullaby (I stopped singing at night time as much since before he was one because he kept laughing himself silly with me joining in! I am not much of a 'sleep' inspired vocal artist I guess).

My favorite part of the book I mentioned first is the repeated phrase throughout that Miss Rumphius' grandfather first gives to her when she is very young. This is how it goes:

"When I grow up, I too will go to faraway places, and when I grow old, I too will live beside the sea."
"That is all very well, little Alice," said her grandfather, "but there is a third thing you musdt do."
"What is that?" asked Alice.
"You must do something to make the world more beautiful"

Since I was little, I wanted to do just that: make the world more beautiful. I feel it almost like a calling, but like little Alice, even if I am older now, I am still not sure how. I am trusting God is showing me even though I don't see the big picture. And maybe reading to my little boy is part of doing just that.

But now I must go....and make the world a little more beautiful!