Books beyond the cupboard

I love books. Every shelf of the antique cupboard in our family room and even the shelves in the office closet are crowded with picture books from when our daughter Emily was little. I have no trouble parting with my own books but can’t seem to give away Mrs. Armitage on Wheels, Mr. Putter and Tabby or Shell Silverstein’s hilarious poetry and drawings. These characters from yesteryear are the dear friends who helped us raise our daughter to be the twenty-year-old woman she is today. Of course I’ll make room for them.

During a phone chat with Emily, she surprised me by saying how often she thinks about one of the paintings from a book we used to read together called, Sister Wendy’s Book of Prayer in Art. When something bad happens, she is reminded of the story of a person in a boat who must tell the oarsman which way to go. Should they head for the lovely island bathed in light or to the desolate and dark one? Thinking of herself in that boat - making the choice of how to feel about her difficulties - helps her to remember that she can’t always choose what happens to her, but she can choose how she’s going to feel about it.

As Emily’s mom, I sometimes find myself in “the boat” heading toward the dark and dreary island. I mourn the loss of Emily’s 3-year-oldness when I was adored daily and needed thoroughly. But thanks to a children's book, I am able to turn the boat around and head for a more pleasant place. Emily has become an independent woman. That's not defeat; that's victory. Mr Putter, Mrs Armitage and the other characters pressed between the pages are alive and well. Yes, these books do indeed go far beyond the cupboard.