Echoes of Wisdom

"A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party,

a company by the way,

a counselor, a multitude of counselors."

Charles Baudelaire

Books were first introduced to us when we were children.  We may have been attracted to the pictures before we understood the letters formed on a page.  They were filled with flights of fancy or rhyming messages which remain in our memories today. 

Books are available to us when we are searching for tips on gardening, woodworking, parenting, or seeking any one of numerous subjects.  They cover all topics from geography to history to science and math; these being the basics.  From kindergarten through years of endless education, we learn from the written word.  

Whether we are advocates of fiction or non-fiction, books become  traveling companions.  They introduce us to new people, places, and things, and they comfort us privately.  When needed or when least expected, wisdom seems to slide through the open spaces planting seeds for future use or for instant enlightenment.  

In memoirs or fabricated drama, we absorb information from other humans to help us navigate through the darkness of challenge or instill courage to face the unknown.  We educate ourselves emotionally, physically, and spiritually through the printed word.  Voices of the past and present are echoes of wisdom offering support, experience, and opportunity to stretch and grow.