My mother was an avid reader. As a child her grandmother read to her when she was sick dubbing her “Read Me.” Later she read the same book to her children and grandchildren, East ‘O the Sun and West ‘O the Moon: a Collection of Fairytales.

In Elementary school, my mother made sure to stop at the public library during the summer break. She remembers asking at the front desk if the latest OZ book was available to borrow. Author L. Frank Baum wrote 14 books in the series and she read every one of them. She also received a special gift once, the complete collection of the Pollyanna Glad Book series. A neighbor, moving to Florida bought all 13 books in the series for her daughters and knew they found a good home with my mother. She told me that reading those books helped her look for something to be glad about when struggling.

As an adult, my mother continued to read entire series of books. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling were on her reading list.

My mother left behind bookshelves full of fiction and nonfiction in most genres. During our travels together she always said we “packed heavy” taking our books with us. Her day started and ended with various prayer and meditation books. She spent a big part of her life reading and often gave books as gifts.

My mother gave countless others and me the joy of reading.