Rest spelled r-e-a-d

“Come!” say the Spirit and the Bride. Whoever hears, echo, “Come!” Is anyone thirsty? Come! All who will, come and drink, Drink freely of the Water of Life! I give fair warning to all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: If you add to the words of this prophecy, God will add to your life the disasters written in this book; if you subtract from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will subtract your part from the Tree of Life and the Holy City that are written in this book. He who testifies to all these things says it again: “I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon!” Yes! Come, Master Jesus! The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes! Revelation 22:17-21 (The Message)

I spell rest r-e-a-d. It is impossible for me to rest which I define as sit and do nothing. Or watch TV which is the same as sitting and doing nothing only worse because your brain fills up with c-r-a-p. So, when forced to rest, I read. I’ve always been a reader. In second grade, my teacher wrote on my report card that my low math grade was due to rushing through my math assignments to get to reading. I always had a book in hand and read completely though the children’s section of our church library even though someone had donated an entire set of Happy Hollister books. Oh, how I wish I had known when someone decided to upgrade that library and gave away all those books. One of the best days in my life was when I learned to write my own name, and my mother took me to the neighborhood grocery store where the bookmobile was parked on its monthly visit. I got my very own library card and a stack of books to take home to read and love for a whole month until I returned them for another stack. As an adult, I still love to read, but it is a lot like being in second grade and having to rush through something I don’t enjoy to be able to sit down and read. I can no longer read until dinner is cooked, laundry folded and floors swept. There is so much that interrupts my reading time. And of course, I am my own worst enemy. I force myself not to start a book until I know that I will have enough time to read it all the way through. If not, I have to read the last chapter before I start so that when it is time to put the book down I can. Sometimes, I read the last chapter anyway. Why waste time on a book with a bad ending? Words on paper fascinate me. I am not nosy, but I can’t help but read things on people’s desk. When I have a meeting in my office, I move over to a table that is free of books or newspapers. Otherwise I lose track of what I am supposed to be meeting about. I surreptitiously read over people’s shoulders and have even learned to read upside down when a newspaper is folded in half or I am seated on the opposite side of someone else’s desk. There is no need to buy a magazine before getting on an airplane. I just read whatever my seatmate has, though I am tempted to ask them to go back a page if I haven’t finished before they do. So, now that I am supposed to be resting, I can indulge in lots of r-e-a-d-i-n-g. A Kindle is a very dangerous thing for someone like me to have. It is instant gratification in an instant gratification world. No waiting for the bookmobile or a drive to the store. In seconds, a book can be mine. Now, that I have also discovered our public library loans books on Kindle, I can even read without racking up a huge Master Card bill. So, my Kindle has practically been smoking, and my thumb is permanently crooked into a bend position. With a Kindle, I read things I wouldn’t normally read, like inspiring books about women born in prison who now have a ministry to women in prison http://www.amazon.com/Even-Tough-Girls-Wear-Tutus/dp/1887345507 or very sad stories about little boys whose world goes crazy when their dad dies in the World Trade Center http://www.amazon.com/Extremely-Incredibly-Close-Jonathan-Safran/dp/0618329706 or tales of a tomboy who lives in 1930s Key West http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Paradise-Jennifer-L-Holm/dp/0375836888 . With a Kindle, it is harder to read the last chapter because you have to click all the way to the end and then, click all the way back. Unless someone knows a short cut to skip to the end. Because I only want to read books that have good endings. That’s why I love the Bible. Love wins in the end.