Although I try to stay away from politics and religion here, today, January 6, 2015, Florida is joining the majority of our country in the acceptance of gay marriage, and I would be remiss if I didn't address it. Politics and religion aside, I have trouble justifying the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent fighting something that seems to affect no one but the couples who are marrying. In the end our country stands behind everyone's individual right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, so I would prefer my tax dollars being spent in a more judicial way. I hope that today, in Florida at least, our politicians will go back to the real issues that face our country.
Speaking of pursuit, the main characters in Phillip Margolin's latest book, Woman with a Gun: A Novel, are in pursuit of the truth behind a very interesting photograph. A bride stands by the shore in her gown with her hands behind her back. We see her from behind and are able to realize that she holds a gun in her hand. What happened or is about to happen? How is that for an original premise?
One of my favorite parts of teaching was when I watched a child learn to like poetry, or suddenly realize he/she actually does like to read. Reading has always been such a comfort to me that teaching my children to have a love of reading was mandatory. Many times parents of Mike's friends or Beth's friends would call to ask how I got my two to love reading. I explained that we let them read anything they liked before bed. Comic books, forerunner of the graphic novel, was a particular favorite of Mike's. As long as they were reading words on a page (that were age appropriate, of course) I felt they were learning how good it felt to find adventures on the written page. As adults, Mike enjoys reading and writing, and Beth is never without a book to read. She too, hopes to write a novel some day, and their love of words never fails to brighten my day.
In hope of spreading this reading addiction, I occasionally review children's books here. Ants in My Pants by Mary Ann Vitale is a cute book to whet your children's appetite for the wonderful world of books. Giving them a book is giving them an opportunity to escape any stress they may be experiencing and helping them to enter the wonderful world of make believe. We all deserve to live in that world for a few minutes a day, so go grab a book and leave your worries behind for just a little while.
Happy reading,
Beverly