My love of reading comes from my mother. Our home
was a place full of adventure, laughter, and imagination because we were all
encouraged to read. I have always loved reading; I think that immersing
yourself in another world and meeting all kinds of new people is one of life’s
greatest pleasures.
The cover of a book was always the thing that
convinced me to read it. When I was 8 this meant I read the adventures of Junie
B. Jones, written by Barbara Park. The bright colors and exciting illustrations always pulled me in.
However, I was often intrigued by books with a more
distinguished appearance. I especially remember the version of The Book of
Mormon my family used for scripture study. It was a large burgundy hard cover
book with gold details on the covers and the binding. All of my siblings and I
were excited when it was our turn to lead the family discussion during
scripture study because of this book. We got to read through the extra footnotes, quotes, and show
pictures that are included in this version of The Book of Mormon. Each page
brought a new excitement because each page had a new perspective on scriptures
we’d already read so many times together.
I think that this burgundy book is the reason that I
continue to seek additional sources in my scripture study today. I prefer
reading scriptures with accompanying general conference talks, devotionals,
etc. This burgundy book has led to deeper patterns of study and appreciation of
outside sources in my life.
I really enjoyed your post. Especially when I first started reading, I thought it was Dr. Burton's post--and I loved that he admitted to reading Junie B. Jones! But now I see it was you! And I really thought it was very well done. I am amazed at the impact that regular family scripture study can have on an individual. I have noticed it in my life too--as we had family scripture study every morning at 6:30 am. It's such a blessing; and one that is full of wonderful memories. For you the burgundy book, and for me the smell of my mom's leather scripture case... Thanks for sharing and taking me back to my cozy days of family scripture study!
ReplyDeleteWhile on my mission we were teaching a couple in the home of the member friends. The members let the husband use their burgundy book during the lesson. At a certain point the husband commented on the subject by quoting from Brigham Young on the subject. All because of the additional insights given in the burgundy book. The comical part is that this burgundy book often times caused more contention in my home than peace as my siblings and I would lobby for a chance to read it during family study.
ReplyDeleteYour post literally reminded me of my childhood. Whenever I had to choose a book, I always chose the most colorful and like you, the cover was a key element for my decision. I’m glad future generations will enjoy the book of Mormon for kids, which was not available in my time!
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