The books on my shelf

If you are like me, then you might be trying to find places for the new things you received for Christmas...which means cleaning out what we already have. This morning I was putting away some books and stepped back to see what was on one shelf.

Interesting, no?

I like to read. I tend to have about 3 books on my night stand. Usually one fiction, one biography and something requiring deeper thinking/education. Over the years the book shelves have collected the phases of reading I have gone through.

This particular shelf, got me thinking.

1. Books about child rearing. I must admit there were other ones that once sat on this shelf but I tossed out in frustration during the first year with Brayden (i.e. What to Expect the First Year). Many of the pregnancy and baby books were gifts from people when I was pregnant. Bringing up Boys, when we first found out we were having boy number one.

2. Children's poem books when Carter first started showing interest in reading. Plus, they are some of my favorites.

3. The car wash book...there was a time when Jeremy and I thought life was settling down a bit. We had two boys. I wanted to start a business. We researched opening full detailing car wash. I researched, talked to small business programs, we talked to potential investors... We found out one was already being planned for our town of Leesburg (if ever in Leesburg you MUST go to the Auto Wash, love it) and we had an opportunity to talk with the owner and since, Jeremy has come to know him well. We put the car wash idea to rest and thought that maybe something would come up in the future. Clearly, that was long before Brayden came along. God certainly knew we had something bigger than a car wash coming into our lives.

4. The books about having a child with special needs. These books did not start coming right after having Brayden. In fact, one was given to my mom for me and she kept it for awhile, not sure if I was prepared to be in "that" category yet, let along read about it. I have come to appreciate and some what enjoy reading other families' experiences. It is not light reading, I tend to cry through many of them but it is comforting knowing that my feelings, thoughts, reactions, concerns, etc are very similar. Some books challenge how I view parenting child with special needs; I might not agree with their outlook or how they handle situations...all still helpful to me as we try to navigate this life God has given us.

What books are on your shelf?

As time passes, the books are changed around. We now have shelf for Carter's chapter books. A shelf that holds books done through Bible studies over the years. A shelf with our school yearbooks and starting to hold the boys' yearbooks. A shelf that holds my "smart" books, the books that requiring more time, more thinking...I have not touched that shelf in awhile.

What has been on my nightstand lately? Fanny Crosby's Autobiography. A Long Way Gone - Memoirs of a Boy Solider. Focus on the Family - A special kind of love.