The Magic of Reading

One thing stands out whenever I think about my childhood.  I have this memory where I'm laying in bed next to my mother.  We were both under her big white quilt.  I had to be about 4 years old.  She was reading to me.  Slowly, so I could follow along and learn the words.  She would turn each page and go through it with gusto unparalleled by anything I saw on the television.  I remember this one book.  The tittle alludes me, but the images glowed in the dark. I thought it was the greatest thing. She would always keep it open underneath her lamp all day, so whenever night came, I would be able to enjoy its magic. Pages were literally lighting up in front of my eyes.  My imagination took flight.

Now, for a large part of my life I didn't have much guidance.  My parents raised me, they clothed me, fed me, took care of me when I was sick, but at times where I think it was very important, they weren't there.  But something was,  my parents gave me something, something that has the ability to change one's life.  All those nights my mother spent reading to me, she was teaching me as well.  And without those nights, I wouldn't be who I am today.

The power of reading could be captured, I'm sure, with a million different words. But in my personal opinion there are no words that can truly capture its magnificence. For it has the ability to heal, to make someone laugh, to teach a lesson.  It has the ability to persuade, to change you, to make you remember, to make you forget.  It has the ability to bring peace to any soul. It brings a satisfaction, a sense of knowing, by making shapes out of the foggy world we live in. Through reading, we find ground to stand on.   Through stories, we relate, we feel, we empathize. We become human.

I believe that whenever you read to a child, you give them an opportunity.  You grasp the world and you place it right within reach of their tiny hands. And in a sense you say to them, "The world is yours now. Go get it."  For all that has happened in my life, my parents did something that I will always be thankful for, they put the world right in front of me. That is the reason why I can stand here today, and say with a smile, that I feel on top of it.

In the end, all of my success stems from what they gave me. The time they dedicated, the love they shared. That is why one thing that  will always manage to put a spark in my step, a flame in my spirit, is whenever I see a man or woman intensely lost inside a book. The will to get lost in the pages and engage, to be apart of a different narrative, will always be one of the most quintessential aspects of the human experience.  And I dare say, if there ever comes a day where it stops, then I proclaim we have lost our humanity.