Reading People

This week we’ve been asked to share our three favorite books—besides the Bible.

If you want some great reading on some good books—leaf back through this week’s posts and check out what my esteemed colleagues have to say on the subject.

It’s a little intimidating for me. I feel what Sarah Palin must have felt when asked about her favorite magazines and newspapers. Gulp…um, well you know—the usual; the same ones as everybody else, I guess. I thought the best answer for Sarah would have been: “Are you kidding? With all I’ve got going on being a wife and most importantly a mother… and then there’s this whole political scene. I barely have time to read road signs—let alone sit around and read magazines and newspapers.”     

I do read. Most road signs and some books, too. But even still, all week I’ve been fretting about my favorites. The answer I told my wife is: “I don’t have a clue. I don’t have a favorite—let alone three.”

This past week I was interviewed (I know crazy huh?) and asked about my favorite authors. That was easy. Of course The Holy Spirit, Author of the Bible topped the list, and then fiction author was Karen Kingsbury and non-fiction was Max Lucado. Anything from those authors and you can’t go wrong in my book.

But there is one book that kept popping up in my mind whenever I thought about sharing with you today. In this book you can find the most wonderful characters.

Burt and Rachel are some of the main characters. Although in their eighties, they’re still some of the youngest folks you could ever meet—full of life. Burt never stops smiling and happiest when helping someone. Rachel can do an award winning cannon ball and no one can get past her hug. Oh, and they’re always holding hands.

And then there’s Eleanor teaching line dancing by day and doing drama by night—only Lou Gehrig disease took her Home last month.  Oh, and Bill Male’s four daughter’s singing quartet—he brags it’s the only Male quartet made of females.  

Mary always has a story to tell and a recipe to give, she has cocktail hour every afternoon at 2:00 and rides her scooter through the village in her night gown at dusk. But, she won’t be doing that for awhile; she went to the nursing home yesterday—they say she won’t be getting out. And Glen loves Buffy only she belongs to Dean and Shirley, but before they get up each morning Glen sneaks Buffy out for a walk and then keeps her all day.

Dick has red lip stick on his cheek because they’ve only been married fifty years and are still on their honeymoon. And the other Glynn works on bikes—well, he did ‘til the stroke stopped that, but maybe…

And of course there’s Gene who works on everybody’s place because he’s good, and cheap—too cheap. Folks have to give him tips because he won’t charge enough.

Oh yeah, Harold whittles. And Sam plays guitar. Pat sings like an angel and Bonnie makes the piano sing like one. Luella has a contagious laugh and Mickey can spin a yarn a mile long and every word is true—or so he says. Lee catches fish when no one else can. And he doesn’t eat a one—just gives them all away.

I haven’t even begun to get through all the characters. But I’ve learned more about life and love and joy and peace from reading them than any book I know written by man.

If you met them, I’m sure you’d love them. If they met you, I know they’d love you.

This book is a real book with real live characters. It has photos and names and contact information for all folks here in the village. It’s called The Whispering Pines Village Directory.

And isn’t that the best book of all—people? You’re reading and being read every day—what’s your life say? Maybe Sarah should have answered: People. After all isn’t that what makes a good book.

To get your name in the Whispering Pines book all you have to do is be a resident of Whispering Pines. It’s nice, but not all that important. However, there’s another book. It’s of utmost importance. It’s the Lamb’s Book of Life. To get your name in it you must make preparations before you die, to be a resident of heaven. If you haven’t—do that today.