Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Books?
Last week Denise and I attended the biennial meeting of the International Thomas Merton Society in South Bend, Indiana. As is the case in nearly every conference we attend, we came away with more books despite our best efforts to pack in such a way that we wouldn’t have room for more books. Hey, one more book can fit in the backpack that can still fit in the overhead luggage bin. Even though the bins are getting smaller as are the seats and the spaces under the seats! Well, it sort of fit… honest it did 🤔🙄🤣
A new friend that we met at the meeting last week posted the following on his Facebook page: The Three Stages of Clergy Life—Wanting books. Accumulating books.
Getting rid of books. I graduated from seminary in 1987 and the moving weight/cost allowance was very limited. I was in the Air Force from 1990-2011 where all of my books were considered professional gear (pro-gear) and didn’t count against my weight allowance for moving. Post Air Force I have moved five times. Oh and when you merge libraries like Denise and I did when we got married, we got rid of duplicates and a multitude of other books along the way. Yes, we do love our books!
So imagine my surprise when I read the following from Thomas Merton in the book, The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton. As he talked about traveling to Asia, Merton was aware of the limits of baggage back in the 1960’s, others like myself had to pay for excess baggage. Lesson: not to travel with so many books. I bought more yesterday, unable to resist the bookstores of San Francisco. (October 15–p. 4)
I wonder what Thomas Merton would have thought about e-books? Hey, more books without taking up suitcase space! Although I image that he would be like Denise and me… there’s nothing like the feel of an actual book in your hands.
Pastor Michael Moore's Blog 
This made me smile, Michael. I had a major book overhaul when we moved house 2 years ago, and I recently sorted a boxful of books to give to a local church, and another for a charity shop. Trouble is, the empty spaces won’t stay empty for long because I can’t resist buying them… and my Kindle library is stuffed to the gills, too, oh dear! Have a blessed weekend, dear book lover Brother. 📚❤️
Thank you, Joy ♥️
Hopefully it will be a quiet weekend before a busy week moving out youngest to University and then going to check on my dad who is in hospice care at the memory care facility where he lives. Next week and into the next will be full of driving 😳
You could certainly use a quiet weekend, my friend, with all the driving and busyness you have before you. May you be graced with peace and pockets of rest and replenishment. ❤️
I’ve reluctantly accepted that we have no space for additional bookcases in our home. So my theory is that I need to weed out some of my books so that there is shelf space for new ones. But the theory does not quite work: I’m still acquiring more books than I am disposing of ones which I’ll never look at again. (Today’s acquisition was a book on Kierkegaard.)🤔 But I’m glad I’m in good company!
I am glad too!