 My Mom taught me to read when I was about 4, before I entered school ... nothing unusual about that for many
she was an avid reader - my dad read too, but mostly the bible in preparation for his preaching - but he did have a few favourite books - like Swiss Family Robinson and Pilgrim's Progress [that's two he used to mention that stick in my mind]
...and as a trained St. John's Ambulance Brigade first-aider, with 'medals' for that volunteer work... he enjoyed medical journals too...
but as an Irish immigrant to England in the 1950's he was always stuck in lorry driving, though, to earn to feed his family.
anyway, to get back to the point...I am so glad that I was encouraged to read and study...yet I more or less abandoned it when I was about 13 in order to 'fit in with the crowd' - who were not so keen on reading, and I didn't read much, except silly novels, until I was 23, [when I became a Christian and began to find, and gradually accept and love, my real self again].
I was wondering...are there others who have found..perhaps as you have got older...and maybe, [like me], your kids have got older and need you less, physically, that you are returning to your love of reading?
I would especially like to hear from fellow Christians on this - but if you're not a believer please join in though, as this is a universal thing...maybe to do with people in their 40's like me, or older.
Something I have found...
I have been re-reading books I read about 15-25 years ago, in the last few years, [as I have cut back on buying books, although many I have were from charity shops and under a £1] - well this time I have learned the value of slowing down to read...
in order to take each word in, and absorb it better...
doing this enables me to read deeper and deeper...I have realised how much I missed before when I read them in a way that possibly skimmed some words
[some I do not think I was ready for then, spiritually...they needed the preparation of life's experiences to create the need for understanding]
and some books I, maybe, found too academic before...
I'm not saying they are very academic - as that is not me - I left school and worked from 16 till I had my first child at 30...I did not have the 'luxury' of University or higher education [not that I wanted it then, I admit].
But I have found that it is possible to take in, and understand, more, even as we get older...with exercising, 'stretching,' our brain...
I actually believe that most people do have intelligence...but most of us don't use it...
we squash it, repress it, [in order to be accepted 'by the crowd' as I did], or for other reasons..e.g. to be 'cool'...or something else...
or we are told by adults [as my husband was by his dad], that we are stupid and cannot learn
...this is rubbish and so wrong.... [my husband is very intelligent, but it was repressed :( ]
just a note for fellow Christians [as some say we should only read the bible and do not need to learn certain things]...doesn't the bible say that we are to 'love the Lord our God with all of our minds' too? [as well as heart and strength]
 | I think reading is great, but it hurts my eyes with the constant back and forth motion .. pictures give us more flexibility so I never tire of looking at them .. well .. never tire quickly. *smile* We tend to "see" what we want with either. I just think it's best not to trust anyone to do our reading and interpreting for us, so reading the bible "cover to cover" repetitively for ourselves is extremely important in coming to an understanding of its meaning. I tend to get annoyed when I can't follow a persons train of thought while they're saying "look here" now "look there" now you must "see" what I mean - when I don't because I already have my own understanding. LOL
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| Reading has been my leisure time activity for most of my life. My overworked mother and father spent all their time during the depression just caring for their family of six children. My older sisters who were teen-aged when I started school, read to me when asked to by my mother, and I coudln't wait to start school so that I could read to myself. I don''t remember learning: it must have been easy as I spent the next years of my life seeking out libraries so that I could read books. I was lucky to have time to read to my children and we had a library of childrens' books in our home, often bought on "time payments" through Field Enterprises. A couple of my children still have the World Book Encyclopedia sets that we purchased for them. It is important to surround your children with books but more important to read to them before they can read. At 81, my eyesight is my most valued asset. I have had two cataract surgeries and now have macular degeneration in one eye. I take eye vitamins and visit an eye doctor regularly. I plan to buy a Kindle from Amazon so that I can download books to it and have the abiility to enlarge the typeset. I know several people my age who never read as children, but now read voraciously, and they are the ones who have not lost their memories or their ability to understand current affairs. They are, for the most part, also liberal>>>>>>>LOL |
 | Reading is awesome. I'm so glad that we (hubby and I) are both avid readers. I'm glad that my children also enjoy reading.
I also believe that one is never to old to learn new things.
Great post! |
 | I was deaf as a toodler so only learned when I started school. Saint Boniface's where the nuns took us on our first class trip to the Library. I got my library card and haven't stopped reading for no reason! I'm an addict. Soon I started sneaking up to the adult's section with mom's card. lol Also learned needlework which is the two things I love to do even now. |
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Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life; not a philosophy of life, but a living presence. -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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