Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Reconnecting with an old lover...

For the past six months or so I began again doing something that I discovered when I was around 10 years old. I became an avid reader!! yes, my old lover is my love of books. When I was a child I really liked the adventure and mystery books. As a teenager who did not know the Lord Jesus, I got caught into the teen romance novels and vampire fiction books. As an young adult, I loved psychology and human behavior focused books. During a time of intense search for God, I became a bit mystic and I read a lot on New Age books, and the life of the saints. As a newborn Christian I read the Bible and books on the Bible, books on the life of Jesus, on the Christian walk, marriage and the purpose of life.

Recently I have been reading on Christians personal accounts on their life struggles.  Gayle's book really touched my heart. I am a firm believer that marriage is a covenant relationship. That basically means that we share the joys and failures of each other. We don't give up on each other but we strife to stay together and uphold each other in the day of victory and the day of shame. I strongly recommend her book because her life lessons go beyond homosexuality, in fact, it has more to do with forgiveness, restoration and faith than anything else.

One of the amazing surprises in the book is how Gayle shares of  how God is listening to our daily prayers and in the most unexpected ways He answers them. 

I will, in future posts, share other books that have recently impacted my life.

Now, as a Mom of 4 homeschooled children, reading can be a challenge. I love to curl up with a good book and read for hours on end. When the opportunity presents itself and the book is really good, I am known to sit and read and only get up when the book is finished. It's a sad moment for me, indeed, when the last page is finally read!

So you can imagine, homeschooling 4 children, nursing one and running a household, how and when does a Mom read?

Well... here is my confession.... I read while:

1) in the bathroom... sometimes I forget I am still there after 10-15 minutes. Usually the screaming of the children brings me back to reality;
2) in bed while nursing and putting a baby to sleep. I wait until the baby is sleeping and then pull the book from under the pillow and read until she lets go of the breast and I can get up;
3) in the car. When we go on trips, I always carry one or 2 books I am currently reading. My husband drives the van, the children sit back and enjoy an audiobook or music CD and I read! :)
4) at home, when everyone is busy doing something but the house is peaceful and I need a break. I let the laundry slide, we buy carry out for dinner and I read.
5) 2 or more books at once. That's right! I read many books at once. I usually grab what I am yearning for at that moment. Reading more than one book keeps me reading even if that one book is kind of dragging at the moment, or the subject is no longer interesting to me. That way I can always come back to that book if it appeals to me again.

I have found that reading has helped me relax and reconnect with my God. Many at times, the Lord will minister to me while I am reading a book. He will reveal to me the solutions to issues with the children or situations at our home. He will speak to me in the most personal and profound way.

For me to read a book is so very personal. It's an intimate thing to uncover someone's thoughts and perspective of life. I see authors as brave people that put their thoughts in black ink on white pages. My childhood dream is to become a writer. I have a long way to go, but maybe someday. :)

Do you like to read? How do you make time for it in your busy life? What book has recently impacted you?


I have some amazing books I have recently read FOR SALE here.

Be blessed,

Tereza

2 comments:

Pauline said...

Good for you :o)
Blessings

Cheryl said...

I too love reading! Not only am I addicted to reading traditional books, I now listen to audio books when driving, crafting or on the treadmill. My husband wonders how I can keep all the stories straight when I have 2-3 books I am reading at any one time, the book my daughter and I read out loud together every evening, my audio book, and the audio book my daughter and I listen to in the car on errands.

If you ever join goodreads.com, look me up - elizgmom