on my nightstand

“A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, 

leading out into the expanding universe.”

~Madeleine L’Engle

"Beware of the person of one book."

~Thomas Aquinas

My talented daughter Anamaría recently wrote a blog post titled “On My Nightstand.”   Here’s a link to her blog, Accidental Discoveries.

I liked the idea so much that I’m copying her!

As you can see in the above picture, the short stack of titles on my nightstand right now includes:

“The Essence of Prayer” by Ruth Burrows  

“One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are” by Ann Voskamp  

Dappled Things Journal, a gift from Anamaría and her husband Travis!  

And “The Art of Memoir” by Mary Karr 

But I have to confess that I’m one of those people who like to "read" several books at once. I say "read" because I jump from one to the other until I'm ready to move on! I also enjoy magazines from the back cover forward, but that’s a different story.

That means that at any given time, the short stack closest to my bed can have three, four, five or more books—and often a journal.

My prayer table is a different story. In addition to a candle, crucifix, a small image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and a prayer bowl where I write prayer intentions, my prayer table will always include my Bible, sometimes a journal, and at times my Magnificat or other book of reflections.

It still sounds like a lot of things, but compared to my nightstand, my prayer table is downright orderly!

While to the untrained eye my nightstand may look like a disaster, to me, it’s a distinct, personal space where I keep the books that I want closest to me right now.

Don’t get scared, but here’s what that looks like:

The funny thing is that when my Grands come over, I don’t have to explain to them that my nightstand is a special place to me.  With a reverence similar to the one they have as they approach my prayer table, he or she will stand and look at my bedside treasures —always asking for permission to touch, hold, or see what they instinctively know is special to me.

What about you... what's on your nightstand?