Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Firsts

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen)

There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it. (Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis)

In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. (Madeline, Ludwig Bemmelmans)

When he was nearly thirteen my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.(To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee)

The first line of a great book is like the first few words of an interesting conversation. That for which we hope in a story or a friendship is the same. We want to be drawn in and have our hearts touched. For those of us who are lovers of the written word, when we first read sentence after sentence that entice us, we have high expectations for a delicious adventure between the pages in our hands. For those of you who thrive on relationships, you love the taste of conversation on your lips, for it is sweet to you and you savor the moments spent with a kindred spirit.

Today was a special first for my daughter, who stepped into academia today. Scoff if you like at my referring to Kindergarten in the same way one might name the hallowed halls of their college alma mater, but it truly promises to be a year rich with learning for her. Today she entered the sticky sweet world of glue-sticks and story time, but at the end of the year, she will emerge a READER! What delightful little delicacies await her.

The first line of her story was written long ago, and Jesus Himself holds her future in His hands. May He alone write the story of her life on her heart. May she [fix her eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of her faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2]