These three books have left a lasting impact on me. There are many others, too!

📗Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

📘The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

📖The Bible by Many Spirit-Inspired Authors

When I read Tess of the d’Urbervilles, I was navigating a difficult period in my life. It was one of the first books assigned for my “Introduction to English Literature” course at the University of Toronto. I felt a deep emotional connection to Tess and the challenges she faced. Her quiet strength in enduring the abuse from the men she loved resonated with me, yet I was struck by how love couldn’t protect her from betrayal and sorrow. Despite fate’s relentless attempts to break her, Tess persevered. The novel brought me to tears; like Tess, I felt betrayed, abandoned, and unjustly accused. The rollercoaster of her life was overwhelming. I wish her story had a less tragic ending. During this time, I found solace in my church community, but my own story still led to a divorce.

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“Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy.” – Shel Silverstein- The Giving Tree

I have read The Giving Tree countless times, both as an Educational Assistant and as a parent to my children. Every time I shared this simple yet profound story with a class or a child, the response was always the same:

“Can you read it again, Mrs. ——?”

Without hesitation, I would oblige, knowing that the children weren’t focused on the lessons or themes in the story but rather on the comfort of its words. For me, however, the book was a powerful reflection on unconditional love, selflessness, and sacrifice. The tree’s endless generosity toward the boy, till his old age, remains with me even now, encouraging me to reflect on gratitude, reciprocity, and the true nature of giving.

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The Bible has had a profound and continuous impact on my life. With its 66 books, it holds too much wisdom and depth to cover in a single sitting. Yet, I can confidently say that it is filled with extraordinary stories of love, redemption, adventure, and drama, all carrying meaningful lessons.

Quote: According to Karen Lee-Thorp, author of The Story of Stories, “Most of the Bible consists of stories…an account of God’s love for a species of creatures who consistently hesitated to return that love…So the Bible ought to be treated as a story; a five-star drama rather than a legal treatise.” —Unquote.

Thanks for reading! 😊