Read for power.

When I was in second grade my teacher told me I reminded her of Ezra Pound and told me the following quote made her think of me...

“Properly, we should read for power. Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one's hand.”
As a second grader, I didn't quite understand, all I knew was that I loved to read. I truly do feel like a book is a ball of light in my hand. That quote so accurately describes me today that it's hard to believe that I was only seven when it was already decided what my future would hold.

Beyond everything else in this life, beyond being a wife (well, future wife), a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, I am a reader. A reader and a writer (blogger.) I've always felt compelled to tell my life through my writing, and feel incomplete without a pen and paper nearby, or, in my electronic case, my laptop. Both reading and writing open up new worlds for me as I live through characters I would have never otherwise known.

Last fall or winter, I heard about a book on Alice 105.9. The morning crew, along with tons of listeners were convinced that I (and the rest of Denver) needed to read this book. It's called "My Sister's Keeper" and it's by Jodi Picoult.
It took me a few months to track it down, but, I did, and I read it in the course of just a few days. I loved every minute of it, hated the ending, and felt the need to discuss it with anyone that would listen. Unfortunately, no one else I knew had read it, and even though my Mom and Brandi both eventually did, it was beyond when I needed to talk about it. I held my emotions and my feelings from this book inside. The emotions I felt were so raw I could have been Anna, or Kate, or even their mother. I was there. It was in me.

Since then, I've picked up several of Jodi Picoult's books, including "The Tenth Circle", "Plain Truth", and "Picture Perfect." With the exception of "Picture Perfect" I thought they were all fantastic, and "Picture Perfect" was pretty good. Today I got three more from Barnes and Nobles and I felt compelled to start this blog so I can discuss how I feel when I'm reading.

I started blogging in our family blog because I wanted an outlet to post pictures, as well as I needed somewhere to creatively express how I feel at any particular point in time. Without reading and writing, I'm only a wife. Only a mother. Only a daughter. Only a sister. Only a friend. Those are all wonderful things, but I'm not me, and I'm not able to express what I need to express. I'm hoping this will allow me to do that.

And so my blogging world begins in a whirlwind way tonight. I also created a blog strictly for my photography -- my professional life. Somewhere, somehow, I can see this opening doors for me, even if it's just personally.

Tonight, I'm going to start "Vanishing Acts."