The Things That Shape Us
One of the sweetest memories of my childhood is sitting by the fire,
drinking in every word of “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S.
Lewis. The “Chronicles of Narnia” series expanded my imagination, deepened
my love of reading, and truly shaped the person I am today.
From the time I was around 2 to the time I could read, and even after
that, my sister and I would sit in huge chairs by the fire and listen to my
dad read to us. He read from many wonderful books, but the ones I loved and
still love the best were “The Chronicles of Narnia.” During this time, my
imagination flourished. The characters became true, life-long friends. Aslan
was a mentor; the Pevensie siblings became my dearest companions. We would
travel through the land where it was always winter and never Christmas,
fight the white witch’s evil army alongside centaurs and talking animals,
and dance with nymphs and dryads in the forest once spring had, at last,
arrived.
I loved these books so much that I never wanted my father to stop
reading them to me. It was always “bedtime” too soon. My desire to keep
listening to them, indeed, spurred me in my pursuit of learning to read for
myself. Once I had learned to read, I loved to pick up and read anything I
could get my hands on, but still read “The Chronicles of Narnia” twice as
often as I read anything else. I will always attribute my love of reading to
the talented author, C.S. Lewis.
Although this series may seem just a bunch of fairy stories, their
underlying deeper meanings encouraged me to ponder the truths of life, and
helped me to shape the way in which I view the world today. I will always
love these books, and hope that many more may come to see the beauty and
truth of C.S. Lewis’ wonderful works.