the book

You would think such a serendipitous meeting would happen in an old New England bookstore with used books and rare editions, but if providence wants to happen in Barnes and Noble in the center of downtown, I’ll take it. I had decided to return a Christmas gift. I had chomped through the first bit of the book, and was really enjoying it, which surprised me since I’ve been rather anti-reading-for pleasure for quite some time. The story was great and I actually cared about the characters, but it was also filled with a lot of dark. It is something that I have questioned more than once. Life can be evil. And the unthinkable actions of others can affect and harm the innocent. How do I preserve my naiveté, while not turning away from the suffering and want that exists? If I have a desire to help teenagers, should I not be cognizant of what goes on behind closed doors? And it is a personal choice. Different causes result in a variety of effects on people. And whether it is the bulk of my imagination or the sheer covering of my heart, for whatever reason, I packed the book up and took it back. The added drag in my feet had been the giver of the gift, who I knew spent time carefully selecting the book, and will no doubt ask how I enjoyed it.

I was delayed the first time I tried to return it. All of Huntington Ave. shut down in some rare accident, and the bus that I was on had to take a large, unexpected detour.
The next time, things went smoothly, and I happily dumped the thick, hardback novel out of my backpack onto the counter in exchange for a “Star Girl” gift card. As I walked away, I heard my name, and there he was. A dear friend from college, and one with whom I knew things were still incomplete. There was mutual joy in the “chance” reunion, and we promised to meet up again soon. He immediately recounted the times we had spent at a family’s house (unknown to him, it was the branch president).

The amount of joy I felt on the way home was enormous. I felt so much excitement, energy, and light. There was a clarity in my mind and a confidence that I can accomplish everything that needs to be done. And these feelings had been missing the past couple of weeks. I knew once again that I was part of a crazy cross stitch where God guides my steps to intersect with someone else’s in a pattern only He could design.

There are so many good things to read, why spend my time on something that potentially is not?