My Summer Reading

Epiphany: My lack of blogging stems from a lack of reading. It is almost as though I had used up all my words, I was running on empty and was not refilling my tank with the words, phrases and diction of others. It was like I couldn't express my own thoughts without having fodder to pull from. I love the written word. There are some authors who I read and just marvel over certain sentences or paragraphs. I cry, I giggle or I read and re-read just to soak in the ebb and flow of how the author has so perfectly captured a scene, a conversation or an emotion...
Without this influx of expression, and with the constant need for communication in my world, I guess I grew verbally emaciated. Blogging was too arduous a task.
Until now.

I've been going through our belongings and sorting, purging and cleaning. During this process I sorted my books into three piles - those I've read but still want to hang on to; research, counseling, Biblical studies, etc; and those I haven't read. I packed the non-fiction pile and most of the "books to keep" pile but created a tower out of the other - Need to read. I used an old CD rack I found while going through my mom's belongings so I now have a stack nearly as tall as myself sitting by my bed, encouraging me to tackle this buffet of words.
So far, I've made it through 7.
And the difference in how I feel is amazing. I'm refreshed and I feel like I can be creative again. I don't know if my schedule will allow me to blog as frequently as I have in the past, but I certainly hope the stretches between posts won't be nearly as long as they have been!
One positive change that will enable me to be a more prolific writer is that we will soon be blessed with high-speed Internet! :) I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am about this development! Its been almost 3 years that we've gone without Internet at home and it has certainly been an inconvenience. This will also allow me to post pictures much more easily -- something that previous kept me from posting. I would write stories or updates but then never post them due to the inability to attach photos.
 Of the books I've read so far this summer I have a clear favorite and one that I would like to recommend to EVERYONE!!!!!!!! The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I found it at Target because it was one of their "book club recommendations" but its on Amazon too, of course. The story follows a young girl who was in the foster care system in the San Francisco valley area of California. The book flops back and forth between present day and the girl's past. The story is so engaging and the character is so well written... I fell in love with the main character and her struggles to maintain relationships in the midst of hurt and fear. 5 stars. :)