I Love Literacy

I have been thinking lately about how much literacy affects our lives. In one of my classes they had us make a list of all the times in a day we use literacy. From the minute we wake up knowing how to interpret the numbers on the clock, we are constantly reading. We read cereal boxes, road signs, the National Enquirer at the checkout stand, and if you're like me, the labels on all your shampoo bottles in the shower. Imagine living without knowing how to read. You couldn't even make it through the drive-thru (I guess most of them have pictures, but you have to at least be able to recognize it as a #5). Imagine going shopping with only a few dollars to spend on a nice new shirt. You would never know that the shirt you wanted to buy was an additional 10% off after already reduced clearance prices. In short, literacy enriches our lives in so many ways. I think of some people I met on my mission who couldn't read and how sad it was. They were wonderful people and still had happy lives, but it seemed like they couldn't progress past a certain point. Think of how it would be to go to church and not be able to sing the hymns because you can't read them--or worse, to be asked to read in Sunday School and have to say no because you literally can't. I am always amazed at how well-versed the General Authorities are in literature. I love it when they quote Wordsworth or Dickens or read letters other people wrote to them. I was impressed over Thanksgiving as we were helping Preston's nephew Josh with his Eagle project serving dinner to homeless people that a lot of the homeless people were sitting around reading novels. Since I have been without regular work for most of this year, I have had a lot of time to read books and I feel that they have made me much more well-rounded and understanding of the world. I've learned about African history, Chinese culture, different experiences of American peoples, and opened my mind to new ideas which have made me think and appreciate and understand better. I often feel that the characters in books are my best friends. For example, I recently read Peace Like a River by Leif Enger and although the main character and narrator is an 11-year old boy, I related to him on many different levels--living with asthma, growing up in the Midwest, saying and doing stupid things. I also related to his sister, who spouted off poetry like no other and read voraciously. I just love literacy. If I haven't convinced you to read more yet, read or listen to this talk by Elder Callister at a BYU devotional last year: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=11394

If I am ever called as the literacy specialist in Relief Society, I will have a heyday with it. I can just see myself forming book clubs, organizing read-a-thons, teaching grammar lessons, passing out ABC flash cards for mothers to use with their toddlers, and encouraging them to read out loud to them. However, until that happens, my challenge for YOU is to pick up a book over the holiday break and get lost in it. Or, make a New Year's Resolution to read more books in 2008. I promise, it's much more fulfilling than watching TV (even Biggest Loser). Happy reading!