Outstanding Book Rec...

Hi, my name is Charla and I'm a readaholic; or maybe bookaholic. Which one is more appropriate? I'd say readaholic because I like to read pretty much anything and I've always been that way. I remember as a little girl, riding in the backseat of the car and reading aloud all the signs on the highway as we drove. I was reading by age 4 and not because I was any genius or any more smart the any other average four-year-old. I just loved it and could often be found in my room with one of my favorites either on my bed or on my floor. So, much less smart and much more nerd! Some that made my "best" list included any Shel Silverstein books, all the Mother Goose nursery rhymes, Judy Blume books, all the Ramona books, the classic Golden Books, Bridge to Terabithia, any Babysitter Club books, and on and on.

As you've probably noticed, I always have a picture of my current read in my sidebar. But rarely do I ever actually write about a book after I've read it. It has to be very smart, very interesting, maybe even humorous, but absolutely something that makes me think!

So, I'm going just touch on the last book I read, "Same Kind of Different As Me." If you haven't had the pleasure of spending some time with this one, it is a must-do! I mean it. Go get it now; run to Barnes and Noble, get on Half.com, hurry to the public library. Whatever it takes, this book is worth the read. First, it is a true story; a tale of an unlikely friendship between a wealthy, white art dealer and a drug-addicted, homeless black man. This book is not only thought-provokin,g but faith affirming and a much needed reminder about God's plans and how they aren't always the same as, but are always wiser and better than, ours.

There are so many instances I could quote, but I will only include this one which was at the very end. It is obviously the inspiration for the title and I just love it because it can be applied to each and every one of our lives at some point. The man speaking is Denver, the homeless man from Ft. Worth.

"Even though I'm almost seventy years old, I got a lot to learn, too. I used to spend a lott atime worrying that I was different from other people, even from other homeless folks. Then, after I met Miss Debbie and Mr. Ron, I worried that I was so different from them that we wadn't never gon' have no kind a' future. But I found out everybody's different--the same kind of different as me. We're all just regular folks walkin down the road God done set in front of us. The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or something in between, this earth ain't no final resting place. So in a way, we is all homeless--just workin our way toward home."