THE MAGIC OF BOOKS

by Stella MacLean

Listening to my grandson’s voice...

Have you ever been really thankful you did something even when you weren’t really up to it? I have many times, but this particular time turned out to be very special.

A few weeks ago, we were invited to our son’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Feeling a little tired, I wasn’t sure I could go because I was having pain, and because I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that I wasn’t feeling great. But finally after talking it over with my husband I decided to go.

After dinner I went out onto the deck and found my youngest grandson sitting alone having an extra dessert. We began talking about school, not his favorite subject, so I switched the topic of conversation over to books. I asked him about which books he liked, and what he was reading at the moment. He was particularly enthusiastic about a new author he’d started to read who wrote other world styled stories.

My grandson is almost twelve, and he has always been a great source of facts on any subject that catches his interest. Pleased by my interest, he went into the house and returned with a book by this author. Because it was a beautiful night with an early fall breeze blowing gently through the trees, and we were alone, I asked him to read to me.

I wasn’t sure he would as reading out loud is something most boys his age wouldn’t do under threat of having to wash dishes. To my complete delight, he agreed to read to me.

I hadn’t known what to expect when he first started to read, but as he continued his voice filled the early evening air with the excitement of the story. He read the words, slowing down or speeding up to match the action in the story, changing the level and timbre of his voice to fit the various characters’ dialogue with all the skill of a practiced performer. 

What was most fascinating about all this was that he had no idea how good his voice was, how melodic his phrasing or how passionate he sounded as he read aloud to me.

It was one of the most special moments of my life, and one I would have missed if I hadn’t decided to go. To think that he and I would not have shared such a beautiful experience if it hadn’t been for a soon-to-be-twelve-year old whose enthusiasm for a story made him willing to read it aloud, and my decision to take part in my grandson’s life despite the presence of chronic pain.

Stella MacLean writes for Harlequin Super Romance. 

Meanwhile, her non-fiction book about her personal experiences with chronic pain—LIVING SUCCESSFULLY WITH CHRONIC PAIN—will be out in time for Christmas 2011 on Amazon.com.  

Her next book with Harlequin will be a Christmas story set for release in November 2012. www.stellamaclean.com