On one of the forms for completion before my selection conference I am asked to talk about a book I have read that had a significant impression on me, and the reasons why it made an impression.
Hmmm. Tricky. I read a lot. Fiction, non-fiction. Doesn't matter. I like reading. So to pick an important one from all those titles could be taxing. And you are thinking to yourself, what does my choice of book say about me to those who will read the form. Tricky indeed. I would imagine that some people will feel compelled to suggest the Bible, this being a ministry form and all. Others may look to great literary works from history. But today I realised what the most important book was.
"Thomas the Tank Engine" by Rev. W Awdry.
I don't know what the first book I ever read was, but I do remember going to the small library near where I lived and hunting down the Railway Series books by Rev Awdry. I loved reading the stories of the engines, and looking at the pictures. This was where my love of books started, with my parents taking me to the library. The most important books for me are the ones that made reading accessible and enjoyable. Without these early books, there's no way I could be where I am now, surrounded knee deep in books, trying to get my head around St Augustine.
Too true. My equivalent would be a Joe 90 annual. I loved that book, and read and re-read it. Today I will read anything. But my love of reading started there. Still one of my most treasured possessions.
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