Surrounded by Words

             Books are the quietest and most constand of friends;

they are the most accessible

and wisest of counselors,

and the most patient of teachers.

Charles W. Eliot

After waiting eight weeks, new bookshelves have arrived!  It had taken me a long time to select them and my books have been packed since last April.  Unpacking all of the boxes yesterday it was hard not to become distracted and read just a few pages from each delight. 

The unveiling of my books was like a family reunion.  Although I loved them all, some held more meaning for me than others.  Reconnecting with diverse wisdom from all generations, trying to place how old I was when I read a particular book, and realizing how much I had changed since devouring a certain chapter.  As I looked around my room, I felt surrounded by loving friends who had been present during the years of my spiritual passage.

I made groupings of my books:  Women's Issues (Sue Monk Kidd, Joan Borysenko, Judith Durek, Maria Harris and Harriet Lerner), Poetry (Hafiz, Gibran, Rumi, Oliver, Whyte, O'Donohue), Inspirational (Mark Nepo, Alan Cohen, Gary Zukav, Gregg Braden, James Redfield, Marianne Williamson, Neal Donald Walsch, Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle), Energy Work (Diane Stein, Donna Eden, Louise Hays, Jill Bolte Taylor, Elizabeth Kubler Ross, Brian Weiss), Spiritual (Hank Wessellman, Pema Chodron, Paul Ferrini, Ram Dall, Thomas Moore, Jane Roberts, Dick Sutphen, Helen Wambach, Dan Millman, Micahel Newton, Richard Bach), to name just a few.

These are some of the authors who bravely wrote of their experiences which took courage and gave deeper understanding of life itself.  They were there to help me through long nights, storms, and dark days.  Their words became a presence (present) in my life that encouraged me to use my voice and my own words.  By sharing their unique experiences, my own life became more authentic and deeply spiritual. 

The energy of all of these words now surround me in my room, and I am so very eager for my writing to bring attention to these rekindled insights.  I feel refreshed and excited to once again be in the presence of such articulate and spiritual beings!