Tonight I met a dear friend of mine for a chat and some book trading. Aside from my parents, I also credit her for instilling in me the love of reading. She was my third grade Reading teacher.
Actually, she was the reading specialist at my school. Yes, there was a time I needed some help with reading. You see, I had only been in the States for a few months and I had a lot of catching up to do. I could read Spanish just fine, but was completely frustrated that I had a new library at my disposal and couldn’t read the books. With her help though soon I was reading Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harriet the Spy, Trixie Belden and so many other greats.
Anyway, how I reconnected with a teacher and actually consider her a friend now was all because of our love of books and art. We were both volunteering for the Arts and Letters Live Program at the Dallas Museum of Art several years ago and she recognized me right away. I hope this is a good thing – ha,ha… We soon made plans to get together and after that we haven’t lost touch.
Books and friends. Such a perfect combination don’t you think?
Oh and the books she gave are: The Color of Water by James McBride, A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary, and a nifty collection of women poets which includes Emily Dickinson, Christina Rosetti, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
