Putting first things first goes the old saw. Keeping our eyes on the prize, another fine old saying. Somehow the two came together for me this week as I listened to the readings and then the sermon on Sunday. As I have said here before, I love listening to our priest deliver his message each week. There is always something there that causes me to reflect and consider. This past Sunday, the message was about setting priorities and what rewards we could receive if we did do and followed through. And I thought, of course, about books and reading.

I still can see the faces of so many of my former middle school students. I can see them absorbed in books during silent reading time. I can see them grabbing up books Rosemary Smith and I booktalked during library visits. I can see them withdraw from Book Pass when they found a book they liked and refused to pass it along to someone else. I can see the passion in their eyes as they talked to me or their peers about the books they were reading. I have been removed from the middle school classroom for 25 years (I get my 25 year award from SHSU today), and yet I can still see that all clearly. I'd like to think it was because books and reading were a priority for me. The memories I have are the prizes. Prior-prize, got it?

So, if we set priorities like creating lifelong readers, wild readers, passionate readers, non-stop readers: what will the reward be? Those indelible memories.