ISSUE #13: The Love of Reading

“Oh, how scary and wonderful it is that words can change our lives simply by being next to each other.” Kamand Kojouri

When we are young, it isn’t always the flash of a special moment that has the greatest impact on our lives, but in the many small things over time that lead us to a tipping point and changes us forever. For me, it was my teachers, my parents and even my peers that taught me how to love and cherish the written word – and believe me, it wasn’t easy to enjoy it.

In fact, when I was young, my parents and I were told that I had a learning and reading disorder, which naturally, made me slower than the rest of the children in my class to develop my reading skills. We were also told that I would have to take special classes, work harder than most, and spend time over-coming this challenge – but that it wasn’t insurmountable.

Thanks to the love and support of my mom, to my teachers in elementary school and to the other children that shared my plight of sitting in the classroom to read from the chalkboard while others went to play in the sunshine at recess. YES, there were tears and frustration, but I would take them again because the ability to read and read well has been the greatest gift my education has afforded me.

To LOVE is one of the greatest gifts humans get to enjoy. To love reading is to unlock the past, present and future as the greatest of minds have written for us to learn – their hopes and fears, dreams and disappointments allow us to dare greatly and discover how to build upon them in our own life’s journey.