June 21, 2007

This is a picture of my granddaughter Madison receiving a reading award. She loves to read and in fact, she earned the highest first grade AR score at her school this year – 70.5 points.

Almost two weeks ago I took her to an event at the library to kick-off their summer program; it was a combination magic and puppet show to interest kids in reading mystery books. Madison decided that she wanted to join the reading program – she only had to read ten books and then she would receive one free book from the library. She started the program that day by checking out three mystery books.

Two days later she had read all three books and was ready to check out more. This time Jackson joined us; he checked out five books and Madison checked out seven more mystery books. She finished the seven books quickly and was excited to turn in her reading list. On Monday afternoon the three of us made another trip to the library. Jackson turned in his books and I helped him to find more; he is learning to select books that appeal to him. Madison turned in the reading list and watched as the librarian placed check marks in all the columns beside her name. She was excited to pick out her free book but perhaps a little disappointed that the none of the books to select from were mysteries. However, she hit the jackpot and found lots of mystery books on the shelves - she checked out fifteen this time!

I was telling my dad about our library adventures and he said that it reminded him of a little girl a long time ago – me. He would take me to the library and I would check out as many mystery books as my arms could carry; I think I read every Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery written.

For a while my family attended a congregation in Armona, a small town in the San Joaquin Valley. One night another family invited us over for dinner and the teenage son, Rodney, got stuck entertaining my younger brother and I. That night my world became much larger – Rodney read a Hardy Boys mystery to us. It was the first time I was introduced to reading for pleasure and I was hooked.

I eventually moved on to Agatha Christie books – M. Poirot and Miss Marple; perhaps my favorite is Ten Little Indians but then again there is the Orient Express. Today I love to read the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy Sayers and then there are the Richard Jury books by Martha Grimes and of course I cannot forget to mention the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters. Yes, I do love to read mysteries.

It seems to be very popular now to combine cooking adventures with a mystery. Perhaps the first author to do this was Diana Mott Davidson with Goldie the caterer who keeps finding dead bodies. These dead bodies cause Goldie a lot of heartache but with enough espresso she carries off her catering events and even discovers the murderer. Not too long ago I read a few chapters about two new characters – Art and Dru – and as soon as my friend’s book is published I’ll tell you how you can get the book and join their adventure.

I do read other types of books; in fact, I usually am reading two or three books at the same time. Right now I am reading Crazies to the Left of Me – Wimps to the Right by Bernard Goldberg; Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes by Andy Goodman & Cause Communications; The Crossword Connection a mystery by Nero Blanc; and of course the Bible – I’m doing a topical study right now and have been reading in both the Old and New Testament.

I usually have a book stashed in the trunk of my car – one that I read a long time ago. You see if my car breaks down I won’t be bored while I wait to be rescued because I will have a book to read. Last night Madison arrived at the restaurant with a book and for a short time she read while eating – she has discovered the Boxcar Children Mysteries by Gertrude Chandler Warner.

I doubt that Rodney could foresee the future that night he was stuck with two little kids to entertain. But because of him, I have climbed the world’s highest mountains (The Seven Summits by Richard Bass and Frank Wells); visited quaint villages in England with Miss Marple; and have gone on archeological expeditions in Egypt with Amelia Peabody and her husband Emerson. I have tried a few great recipes from Goldie; found out that I am a Communicator, Activator, Learner, Wooer and a Maximizer (Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D.); and have discovered the real meaning of love and life by reading the Bible and applying myself to following God’s plan for His creation.

I think I will ask my dad if he remembers Rodney’s last name and then try to locate him so I can say thank you. One act of kindness – or perhaps it was one act of obligation - what adventures that one act led me to...

By the way, I am doing great! Today I had the next-to-the-last Herceptin infusion. I’ve been having fun with my grandchildren - we have of course gone to the library a few times, we have picked berries at a farm, and have had a couple of picnics. The pictures of our berry picking adventure are posted at: http://jrenays.photoblog.com/ (if you look at the column to the left and find “Links” it is listed as Jan’s Photoblog). If you look at the pictures you will see how much my hair has grown out. In March I used hair gel to try and fluff the hair - to make it appear as though I had more hair. Now I use the gel to tame the curls and even that does not always work! ha Initially it appeared as though I would have mostly grey hair but as it has grown and filled in the color is a mixture of grey, auburn and brown.

I’ve been learning a little about web design and I am working on creating a cookbook for my personal use – a collection of family recipes, pictures and stories along with other recipes I have collected and use frequently. Who knows, it might lead me to eventually create something for publication.

We may never fully know the impact we have on someone’s life – it is a little daunting to realize that isn’t it? Just thinking about it makes me want to be very, very careful. The casual encounters we have with people could make a difference in someone’s day. So, tomorrow remember to smile at the next person in line, hold open the door for another person, and give a heartfelt thank you to the wait person who delivers your food or refills your beverage.

I read something the other day about a person who arrived at the drive through window of Starbuck’s to find out that the individual in the vehicle before them had paid for their coffee because the person in front of them had paid for their order. Think of how you would feel if you were the one to arrive at the window and someone had paid for your latte. Think of how fun it would be to start it out … you be the one to first pay for someone’s coffee. That’s right, no one will be paying for your coffee but your gift will be knowing that you treated a complete stranger and who knows what that person might do throughout the day because you did something kind for them.

It is good to think about individuals who have made a positive impact on our lives – it makes me feel humble and I think that all of us are at our best when we are humble.