I was so glad when I was finally old enough to walk the mile and a half to the library. I’d trek down Washington Avenue, past the bus station and into the biggest building in town. It housed the police department, the town’s governing offices, and the library! It wasn’t unusual for me to carry a big tote bag and pile more books than I could get home. Once on a hot summer day, a police officer saw me struggling and carted me and my books home. While others had garnished medals from swim team or baseball on those sweltering days, I had often gotten the award for the most books read. Those paper certificates hung on my wall proudly.
Still today, my Amazon cart is like that big tote bag, brimming with books as summer affords me the opportunity to stay up a little later on the porch since there is more light to read by. It is a seasonal ritual for me to spend time selecting and carefully piling books on my desk, waiting for the start of my reading season to begin as if I was about to run a race.
Maybe you devour books or maybe you are just waiting for the right summer read to come along. Here are a few favorites of mine and some of the staff about faith, our relationships with God and others and things that ought to concern us as we love our neighbor.
May the summer bring you much joy.
May it also be a chance to pause and reflect on how one does life with the complexities of this world.