Thought for the Day
Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Over the years, I’ve collected thousands of books. Now, at 87, it’s time to say goodbye. This is hard for me. But I have begun. Some I donate, some I sell. And a very few, I say, “Not yet.” Some I cannot yet part with. I was helped in this task by a simple dream that said, “Remember them.” From this dream, I developed a ritual. I would hold each book and try to remember why I bought it, when I bought it, and what I had learned from it. I was surprised by how clear and accessible most of this remembrance was. Some of these encounters were like meeting an old friend I had not seen in years, and the time of separation just evaporated, and one was just present. So, yes, books are like friends, perhaps not just “lie” friends, but friends indeed. By enacting this ritual, my task has not become easier, but it has become meaningful in satisfying ways. At my age, saying “goodbye” to anything takes on a poignancy that burrows deep. Bittersweet comes to mind.

Russ