A Literary Legacy

This is only some of my collection, haha! 

I read my first word at the age of about 3. You see, my momma started reading to me the moment she found out she was pregnant. She read everything she could get her hands on! Cereal boxes, magazines, novels, you name, it, she read it. I come from two very talented parents and gene pools. Daddy was a science and music man. He played guitar beautifully and could be found in our back yard with a pair of binoculars, bird watching. I always thought people were going to think my dad was some kind of pervert, but he was really just watching the bird fly by and looking up their names in a book. He liked to read mostly history stuff, and read mostly before bed or while he was, erm, indisposed. When I was younger, I honestly thought I would do something in the science field, as I showed talent in earth and animal science. But, Momma's genes eventually dominated. See, she was a Literature lover and a writer in her younger years. I have a nice little Literary legacy. 

One of my favorite stories that Daddy would tell (and Momma will still tell me if I want to hear it. Again.) has to do with my love for reading. I made my parents read to me every day, often several times a day. My favorite was Rainbow Bright. Daddy said that he would often try to skip pages because he was so tired of that stupid Rainbow Bright, but that I would call him on it. "No Daddy, you missed a spot." He couldn't believe it, I'd memorized the entire book. I could recite it to him from memory. After a while, I memorized most of my books. If either of my parents tried to skip pages, I would just give them a look like "Yeah, right, nice try," and they'd have to back track. My kids will likely do the same thing to me and Zach someday. Dad will point and laugh at me from Heaven. 

One of my Daddy's older sisters, my Aunt Rhonda, was a third grade teacher most of my childhood, and so she played a huge roll in my love for reading as well. She would send me home with book and worksheets she used with her kids when I was very young. To this day she supports my love for reading. 

I remember vividly the day I read my first word all by myself. I was in the car with my Aunt Paula (one of my moms older sisters) and her three sons driving back to Italy. I noticed on the drive that a hotel on the side of the highway had changed their sign. I used all the tricks of sounding the words out in my head just like my Aunt Rhonda taught me and eventually sputtered out the word "Ramada Inn". My Aunt and cousins whirled their heads around, their mouths hanging open. When we arrived at my house, Aunt Paula was just beaming at the fact that she heard me read my first word! 

After that, there was no stopping me. I devoured everything I could get my hands on. When I was 5 I gave my first novel a try, attempting Treasure Island for the first time. I didn't understand anything, but I felt awesome because I could read every single word. When I was in the third grade, my teachers made me stop reading things like the Bernstein Bears, saying it was under my reading level. That was when I discovered the Box Car Children and The Hardy Boys. 

I wish I had kept a log of all the books I've read over my lifetime. I'm sure the number is up in the 1000's. And I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that being a writer is my greatest dream. I want to touch someones life the way my favorite authors have touched mine. I want to impact a young girl or boy with something I write. And more than that, I feel like I have something to say and can offer the world my experiences. I could have been a biologist, geologist, historian, detective, explorer, actress, singer, painter, archeologist, or absolutely nothing at all. But then I realized that I can be all of those things because, in the realm of my imagination, anything is possible! :)

Alison