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Bookseller to the Rescue

I remember when I was about ten, watching my Mom in the kitchen at the stove on Christmas or Thanksgiving. The kitchen in our house was about the size of the average McMansion pantry, had no granite, no stainless steel appliances and no custom cabinets, but was still the room that held most of my happy childhood memories.

All of a sudden, it occurred to me that Mom had to work pretty hard to put this big family shindig together. I said, “Mom, I’ll bet you don’t even like the holidays because you have to do all the work.” (I was such an insightful child!) She looked at me horrified and said it didn’t matter because the important thing was that the family was getting together. That has been a big theme, especially for my Mom…the importance of family…for reasons that can’t be shared in a blog. They need a whole novel…maybe a trilogy.

Over the years, I have found that for me, the holiday season was becoming less “Joy to the World” and more “Bah, Humbug!” I resented the chore aspects of the season. I detest shopping anyway and during the holidays, when I have to suffer the crowds and lines, it’s practically unbearable. Online shopping has helped in that regard! I felt like a fraud when I bought a gift for someone because it was an obligation, not because I felt compelled to or found just the right thing. I do a bit of that during the year, not at the holidays. I even began to dread the obligatory holiday parties in kids’ classrooms and in every group to which I belonged.

Last year I ended up in the hospital at UNC-Chapel Hill for 13 days, including Christmas and New Year’s Day. It was my depression, coming to haunt me at the time of year when anything less than jolly frivolity is seen as suspect. With the help of too many doctors to mention and the surprisingly intense companionship with my fellow patients, I got better and I got perspective.

A couple days before Christmas, I finished the books my husband had brought me and found myself bookless, a state that causes me great anxiety. I asked some of the nurses if there was a good bookstore in the area and they recommended Market Street Books. From the community phone in the hall, I called and spoke to the owner, Kathryn, and explained my plight. I figured that if I told her what books I wanted and gave her my (memorized, of course!) credit card number, maybe she could have the books sent to me at the hospital overnight.

Instead, Kathryn gathered my books together and personally delivered them to the hospital where they filled the remainder of my stay with one of my most reliable medications, something good to read. Kathryn may be personally responsible for the demise of my “Bah, Humbug” attitude and the rise of the importance of family, which for me includes blood relatives, an amazing abundance of friends and, thanks to Kathryn, the community of people who care about people they don’t even know and give without judgment to those who might not be having such a great holiday.

For a fuller explanation, PLEASE read my blog from last Christmas with the full story of The Gift of the Magical Bookseller.

Di appears Saturdays on TriangleMom2Mom. Read more about her at her blog Live and Let Di

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dineer526's picture

Live and Let Di

Diane is a TriangleMom2Mom featured blogger, appearing every Wednesday. 

I try to be the voice of Moms with teens. My daughter Haley is 17. She's at that age where she is convinced that I know nothing. I'm thinking I'll seem a lot smarter when she's 22. We bond over Broadway shows, Glee and the occasional book. She did all of her college applications on her own and wouldn't even let her editor Mom look at her essays! She will leave in August to attend the University of Florida. Go Gators! The jury is still out as to whether or not Mom will experience the empty nest blues.

My son Rory is 15. He started reading the sports page when he was 5 and his passion for anything sports-related has grown ever since. Last year he beat out 9 guys in their 40s to win his Fantasy Football League. Watch for him on ESPN in a few years. He is now on the golf team at his high school and routinely making me look bad on the golf course!

I work as a freelance writer and editor...mostly in a t-shirt and sweats. It's my dream job and I love every second of it! My husband and I are recently separated and trying to keep our focus on keeping things as normal as possible for the kids and keeping a positive attitude toward the future.

Diane appears Wednesdays on TriangleMom2Mom. Read more about Diane on her blog Live and Let Di

Posted on November 29, 2008 by dineer526.

Comments

nataliegott's picture
by nataliegott 3 yrs. ago.

I love Market Street Books, but don't go there nearly as often as I should. I will now. Thanks for sharing this story.

hanemecek's picture
by hanemecek 3 yrs. ago.

I read this in the paper yesterday. Thanks for being so open and willing to share that you are a real person- too often stories in the paper tell of people that are just too perfect (or are pretending to be). I loved your piece & wanted to let you know it touched me.

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