Mama’s Books

My Mama went to be with the Lord in 2013, one week before her 92nd birthday. Mama often shared her love of reading and writing with me and with others. Iola Lee was a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, mother-in-law, and friend to many.

Some of my favorite memories are of Mama taking me to the local library. Both of my parents enjoyed reading books, magazines, and the local newspaper. I remember sitting on the floor in the evening, by Mama’s recliner while she read the newspaper. She would hand sections of the paper to me after she and Daddy had finished reading. From local news to world events to the classified ads and the comic section, I was excited to read every word.

When the neighborhood bookmobile visited a local grocery store parking lot, Mama made sure we visited and checked out books to take home. Some weeks, she drove us to the library and other weeks, we enjoyed the visiting bookmobile. I marveled at the amount of books the oversized vehicle could carry. I pondered how the books stayed on the shelves when the bookmobile was in motion.

Mama always had a book sitting on the table by her favorite chair. When she needed some quiet time to relax, she sat in her recliner or on a chair on the front porch, and read. There was also a cherry bookcase positioned against a wall in the den, filled with books Mama had read. She shared books with friends and family. When she found a particularly interesting story, Mama was happy to pass the book along to someone else.

I didn’t realize until I was an adult that the love of reading and writing had been given to me. What a precious gift to have passed down for me to enjoy.
My teachers in every grade often shared how they liked my stories and that I should think about being a writer. One area where I earned good grades was writing. From handwriting skills to creating stories from my imagination, the comments from teachers were always complimentary.

Writing contests were fun to enter. Creative writing became a favorite hobby of mine.

As a young adult, a friend of my parents noticed I was reading a book while sitting in a local restaurant. The friend had paused at the table to visit with Mama and Daddy. She noticed the book I had checked out from the library. The kind lady sat at the table with us and began sharing some of her favorite authors. She offered to let me borrow one of her books. The kindness of the friend opened the door to discovering more authors.

When my husband and I married, we both found joy in reading books, newspapers, and magazines. As time progressed and more items could be found online, we began subscribing to those websites.

Time passed and our son was born. One of the first things we decided to do was read to our child before he was born. Reading stories and creating stories was a favorite activity to share with our unborn child.

Once Michael was born, my husband Alan, and I continued to read to him every day. We continued the tradition of visiting the local library, which happened to be the same library I visited as a young child. Weekly readers groups and children’s activities were added to our schedule.

As our son grew, library day was special at our house. I drove to the old building and we raced to the door to enter the rooms filled with shelves of books to be explored. Mama had taken me there years ago and now, our young son was experiencing the love of books.

There were days when we came home with enough books to read one per day, while other times, we carried bags of books from the library.
Our son grew up with a thirst for books, too. My parents had passed the love of reading and writing to me and then, my husband and I passed that love to our son.

As an adult, I began writing stories and sharing with friends and family. At one point, I started a blog, then, a website. Not long afterwards, I wrote my first book and then, a second one. Writing is one way of sharing my faith and love for the Lord.

Each time I sit at the computer to create a devotion, blog post, article, or fiction story, I pray. There is a note taped to my computer that says “PRAY FIRST”. I ask God to guide my writing and to help me write words that bring people to a closer relationship with Him.

On this Mother’s Day and every day, I thank God for a mother who loved reading and how she shared that love with me. When Mama passed away in 2013, our family was able to donate her books to others who could enjoy the books. Through the actions of my parents by showing their love for books, reading and writing, I am able to share my faith with others. The love my parents had for books and reading is something I will always remember.
I am thankful to have learned the love of reading and writing. I will always remember the joy that books brought to Mama and how she shared that joy with others.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 NIV)
Blessings,
Melissa Henderson