My Library Finds

Like many of you, I just love the local library. The anticipation mounts as I pull our green minivan into the parking lot. As we walk up to the door I literally shiver at the thought of what treasure I might unearth today!!! The kids take off to find their respective gold mines. For Sam, it is "Ricky Ricotta and His Mighty Robot", comics, space themes, Berenstain Bears, and community workers. Katie's hunt includes books on "beautiful things"...dolls, friendships, teddy bears, bunnies, flowers, ballerinas, and princesses. John beelines for books on amphibians and wildflife...snakes, frogs, lizards, scorpions, and penguins.
My seek and find ended with the following titles:

• Spiritual Simplicity: Simplify Your Life and Enrich Your Soul by David Yount

This is another wonderful book on simplicity with practical how-to's and lifestyle changes/mindsets to adopt.

• Laura Bush: an intimate portrait of the first lady by Ronald Kessler
• A Can of Peas: the story of a small town and a season of hope by Traci DePree
• Finding My Way Home: Pathways to Life and the Spirit by Henri J.M. Nouwen
• A PBS Videorecording called "The War on Boys"

Description: "Journalist and political commentator Fred Barnes investigates the changed concept of how boys should be raised and the heavy price a generation of young men--and society as a whole-- may well pay as a result. The program examines equality in the workplace and in education; the disproportionate number of boys diagnosed with ADD; the fact that violence and suicide among teens has increasingly become the province of boys more than girls; and whether the advancement of women in virtually all areas of society can be achieved without a retreat, in some way, on the part of men"
Should be interesting!

• Where God Begins To Be: A Woman's Journey Into Solitude by Karen Karper

This book is an inspirational gem! It is a little over 100 pages and is a delightful read of a nun-turned-hermit whose journey with the Lord led her to a life of poverty in primitive Appalachia. It will make you laugh, wonder, and think freshly about finding the Lord in the simple things of life.

Libraries foster our sense of community. It's fun to meet other people there and feel a part of a larger whole. Using a library also reinforces sharing...we must learn to wait our turn, take care of communal property, and return promptly. Libraries are for everyone regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic status, etc...we are all the same and on the hunt for greater knowledge, wisdom, laughter, connection, inspiration, and retreat through the world of books. What a wonderful place to get our children in the habit of frequenting!

What jewels did you pick up from the library lately?