A lot of childhood memories have surfaced this week. I was lucky to have grown up in a home with a lot of love in it. Of course, as an only child, I got spoiled (still am, truth be told). My mother told me that when she was pregnant she asked her doctor how to avoid spoiling a child. The doctor, also female and a parent of an only child, responded that spoiling children was what you were supposed to do, within reason, of course. Mother, being a wise woman, followed the advice. Thanks, Doctor D.!

One thing my mother did in terms of spoiling me was indulge my requests for trips to the town library. Before I was old enough to go on my own, she would take me, and if she wasn't in need of a book for herself at the moment, she would wait while I picked out what I wanted. There were always books and magazines in our home. And she was always happy to help me with words I hadn't run across.

I consider her having encouraged me to read to be one of the finest things she did for me. I was introduced to new ideas, and learned to appreciate the similarities and differences in people. And I still enjoy being introduced to new ideas, or invited to revisit older ones.

These days, I have the pleasure of seeing a lot of ideas in online journals. One journal I particularly enjoy reading is And If I Die Before I Wake. Bob's entries are frequently written as letters to his two young children. Sometimes he explains things to them, and always he reminds them how much they are loved. Every child should be lucky enough to grow up in a home with a lot of love in it---and I think this one has a whole lot. Be sure you wander through the archives---they're worth the time you'll spend.