As I was opening up the Ingram (book ordering) website to begin the day at the store, a sidebar with this titling caught my eye: “New Stories Await - Bring a new story home with you today.” The phrase reminded me of two things - enjoying a stroll through a bookstore to find the next great read and when my children were growing up and came home from school or some other activity, full of stories from their day.

New stories await…it is wonderful to bring home a new book from the bookstore or the library. A friend and I were talking the other day about the vast difference between spending time in a bookstore and ordering a book online. To be able to leaf through a book, to wander a room or building filled with books, to chat with the clerk as you pay for your book, to enjoy the total experience - compared to looking up a book online, seeing the cover and maybe a page or two on your screen, clicking an icon, and entering your credit card info. The satisfaction that comes from the bookstore experience is immeasurable.

New stories await…it’s not just about reading good books, though that is one of the more pleasurable pastimes, especially during extreme cold (or heat) bouts. Each day we awake and begin a day where our stories continue to develop - some days adventurous and exciting, other days routine and comfortable. Whatever the day brings, we are living our story. Listening to our friends and family as they share the story of their day is a great act of love.

New stories await…there are several books and apps out there for recording our stories to share with children and grandchildren. How I wish I had been more diligent in learning and recording the stories of parents and grandparents - to know and understand their thoughts and experiences and have it recorded somewhere. Whether you’ve thought about it or not, you may want to consider recording your story, and if they are still around, that of your parents.

New stories await…this can be a new way to look at our lives. We can choose to view each day with a sense of wonder. What awaits us in this day? Will we meet someone new? Will we learn a new fact or skill? Will we discover a treasure we thought long lost with time? Will we begin recording our story in some way? Any and all of these questions bring new perspective to awakening and greeting the day.

New stories await - what does that phrase mean to you?