| You
may have tangible wealth untold
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer
than I you can never be—
I had a mother who read to me.
 Some
of my fondest memories are when I sat in our living room
in a large arm chair with a child on each side and two
smaller ones on my lap. I was reading Bible and classic
stories to them before they said their prayers and went
to bed. The sweet feel of their warm, freshly bathed little
bodies and the smell of their squeaky-clean, damp hair
linger in my memory. They were so attentive. Almost always,
when we finished, they would request, "Read it again,
Mom!" They never seemed to tire of hearing a story
over and over.
My love for
bible stories began when my Grandmother Lillywhite presented
me with a Bible Story book as a Christmas gift when I
was only two-years-old. My mother began reading to me
as she set a fine example for me to follow. My favorite
tales were also my children's favorites. Actually, reading
bible stories is an excellent way to get a larger picture
of ancient biblical history; it helps tie facts together.
It gave me
great satisfaction to have Sunday School teachers tell
me how my children could answer almost all the questions
they put to their class. One of my grandsons began reading
at a very early age. He would phone me at 5:00 a.m. to
compare how far he had gone in his scripture reading to
how far I had gone in mine. To this day, as he fills a
mission, he is still at ease with God's word. What a great
blessing scripture reading has been in both of our lives.
Today, we often
sit as families viewing a television program. This can
draw loved ones closer together if properly done. Certainly,
if there are moral lessons to be learned, we will want
to point them out. And, if there is misinformation, we
will also want that made clear to our family. Somehow,
television doesn't seem to give the warmth and closeness
that reading aloud does. I wonder if children have a faint
memory of hearing their mother's voices when still in
the womb?
 As
children grow older, having family scripture study can
be very effective. When we began this "happy habit"
our children were quite embarrassed, as none of their
friends did it. Nowadays, it is a fairly common occurrence
in devout families. Perhaps the main benefit comes from
gathering together in a spirit of love as we learn, teach
morals, and bond. May God bless our mothers to keep on
reading!
(To print this page, click
here for pdf version. If you don't see the new page,
you will need Adobe
Acrobat Reader. ) |
