Don't Stop Turning The Pages

Don't Stop Turning The Pages
By John R. Greenwood

"Cherub-child"

I was attending an event at the Chatham Public Library when this absorbing scene drew the attention of my camera. Rather than try to control the little cherub's fidgeting, mom got up from her seat and sat on the floor with her daughter. Mom handed her this lovely little book and cherub-child quietly entertained herself for the rest of author Jon Katz's talk on animals, books, and life on a farm called Bedlam. The vision also stirred a pinch of emotion. It was such a relaxing afternoon in a historic setting. It drew out my journal and pen as these signs of life tend to do for me. 

Here is the result:
Little fingers turn pages with gentle anticipation of what lies behind the cover. Our lives begin this way until voices from the airwaves around us begin to whisper fearful things. We must find a way to recapture the sweet naivety we once possessed. Why let it remain a memory? Be bold enough to step with some uncertainty. Think of those who came long before. What if their fear had kept them clinging to the rocky shores never to have seen the great country that lay to the west? What-if's are like poison. The bitterness that curls the tongue can linger for a lifetime. Don't settle because you're too afraid of the unknown.  Jump ahead, jump over, jump up, jump back if you need to reboot, but don't hesitate. Don't stand still. Don't stop turning the pages.