Finding Peace in the Bookstore

Courtesy of Michael D. Beckwith via Unsplash.

I stepped through the oversized wooden doors onto plush carpets and paused. Breathing in deeply, I savoured the smell of new paper and coffee, and listened to the muted tones of contented voices chatting comfortably on overstuffed couches. The whole atmosphere oozed calm and peace... the perfect notecard for the invitation the rows of books were giving... Come in. Sit down. Read awhile.

Next to church, the bookstore may just be one of my favourite places in the world to visit. Ever since we were married, my husband and I would consider it a good date to head in to Chapters, have our favourite dessert-like coffee treat, browse through shelves as though searching for buried treasure, and leave with a few paper-bound nuggets in a crisp plastic bag, all anticipation and excitement for the adventures that would soon be ours when we delved into their pages.

As our family expanded, this has still been a great place to visit—we all find treasures when we go. As I insist on previewing children’s fiction that I have not heard of or seen reviewed, I spend more of my time in the Young Reader’s section than anything else these days... however, for the most part, I find children’s fiction just as or more enjoyable than that meant for adults, as it tends to be, um, cleaner.

On Saturday, we packed up the kids and the van and drove to SL to spend time with our extended family and grieve my father-in-law’s passing. It was a good time of remembering, celebrating, and visiting. By yesterday, feeling drained because of the high emotions and all the visiting, we decided to spend the day in the nearby city, just the kids and us, relaxing a little. A few errands, an hour at Chapters, and a family movie at the “cheap” theatre watching Wreck-It Ralph was a great “family date.”

Now, we are ready to head home and pick up our lives again. The memorial will not be for several months, when spring weather has arrived in Alberta.

For now, life goes on. We enjoy each moment we can. And we treasure the places and moments we find peace... like at the bookstore.