What is a book? plus blog roundup

A book is a gift you can open again and again. Garrison Keillor

This quote reminds me of my mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s. On one recent birthday, she received a beautiful gift bag from my sister-in-law. She opened it, admired her gift, and set it aside. A few minutes later, she spied the bag, reopened it, and admired the gift again. She didn’t remember opening it the first time. Or the second. Or the third . . .

It’s sad, of course. But at the same time, at this moment, there was a hint of beauty, too. She got so much enjoyment from that one gift because each time she opened it, it was like the first time.

The wonder.

The surprise.

The beaming smile of gratitude toward the gift-giver.

I think I heard the same excited words from her about four or five times that evening. It’s the gift of living in the eternal present.

Though most of us won’t reread a book in quite that way, there’s still a parallel. Remember discovering that special book? The one that changed the world for you. It won’t be the same book for everyone, but remember reading it the first time? It felt fresh and beautiful and you could hardly believe something that wonderful existed.

Think about returning to it sometime in the future and rediscovering that gift. With certain books, those special books, no matter how many times you open that cover and read those words, it feels like a new gift.

What book is that “special book” for you? Tell me about it in the comments! I’d love to hear about them and what made them so wonderful for you.