Books that Shaped Our Lives

A while back, a colleague of mine asked me to submit a piece of writing about a book that shaped my life.  Here is what I wrote. 

In my life, there have been so many books.  There have been so many books that my mother would tell you she can’t remember a time I wasn’t reading a book.  There have been so many books, that my husband would tell you we don’t have room for any more.  There have been so many books that I can tell you, it is hard to say which one has most impacted my life.

There have been books that served as companions when I have felt alone in the world.  There have been books that have helped me cope when my struggles seemed greater than the strength I had to deal with them.  There have been books that have helped me grow when experience was not enough.  In each of these instances, I could tell you the one book that made a difference to me.  But to say which one made the most difference is like to ask which star in the sky is my most favorite. 

But, if you were to ask which book has been unconditionally relevant to me, I would tell you it was The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.  I have found meaning in this book over the course of my life regardless of my age or experience.  At times it has inspired me.  At times it has made me feel profoundly sad.  At times it has affirmed ideas I believed to be true and right and good.   

And so, for my daughter, I have acquired a copy of this book.   It is my hope that in its pages she will find insight and understanding and in this way come to cherish it as I do.