My guess is that most of us, perhaps all of us, began our love of writing from a love of reading.
I do not remember a time when I couldn’t read. I do not remember a time when I was not surrounded by books.
My parents were both readers. Bookcases were always part of the decor of our home. Growing up in the ’60s that included the classic brick and board version. We had to have a place for the books. They ranged from the Colliers Encyclopedia, Time/Life books on the physical world and American Heritage books on history to all kinds of fiction. My mother was a fan of popular fiction and romance novels. She would check them out at the library by the grocery bag full.
Which brings us to the real “hero” of this story. The library. My first memory of a library that impressed me was the one at Gouvenour P. Hance Elementary School in Gibsonia PA. The room was the size of a small classroom, but it held more books than my fourth grader eyes had ever seen. And I could borrow them. All of them (eventually), if I wanted.
It was an epiphany.
From that moment on, libraries have been one of my favorite places on earth.
Later on, I would discover a larger library at both Pine Junior High School and Richland High School. I would explore the wider selections at the Richland Public library (now the Northern Tier Library). I’m not sure I have ever been without a library card with some or several, libraries at any time in my life. At least not by choice.
My love affair with books and libraries continues to today. When I move to a new area one of the first things I do is to find the local temple of books and gain admission. I was blessed to live near the Prendergast Library in Jamestown, NY for three decades. Today I can access both the Chesterfield County Public Library System and the Richmond Public Library. With ready access to ebooks, I am never out of reading material.
But there is still something special about sitting in a quiet library, surrounded by books.
Peace
JD
Stories Are My Life 
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