Why I Read

The following is an excerpt from a poem by one of my favorite young adult authors, Richard Peck:

I read
because one life isn't enough
and in the pages of a
book,
I can be anybody.

I read
because the words that
build the story become
mine,
to build my life.

I read
not for happy endings but
for new beginnings;
I"m just beginning myself
and I wouldn't mind a
map.

I read because every journey
begins at the library and
it is time for me to start
packing.

Stanzas two and three are especially apropos for reading the Bible, I think.