Many folks belong to this Challenge, and I find it kind of fun. I’m not sure if I’ve ever reached my goal or not, but I’m close this year. I’m searching Raabe Ranch for all my half read books, the ones I’m just not into, don’t care much about, or just got interested in something else before finishing. Call me fickle, but I do have a pile of books I’ve classified as “reading.” Some things have to age, you know?
Kind of like the fifteen year quilt kit I’m finally working on; kind of like all the small kits I bought to make sequin appliqued Christmas stockings for the Babe, me, and all the dogs we’ve had; and yes, like all the yarn, fabric, embroidery projects, yet to be done. Where there is breath, there is hope. Yes, there is.
I only projected I’d read 24 books this year. Two a month seemed reasonable. What have I read?
It Ends With Us, Ugly Love, My Life With Karma, Bird by Bird, 30 Red Dresses, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Walk Me Home, Ticker Tape, Where the Crawdads Sing, Senile Squad: Adventures of the Old Blues, Enchantress of Numbers, Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service, Vacuuming in the Nude: And Other Ways to Get Attention, The Gown, Nobody Will Tell You This But Me, November 9, More Busting Bad Guys: True Crime Stories of Cocaine, Cockfights, and Cold-Blooded Killers, The Granddaughters, Your Story is Your Power, The Price of Admission: Embracing a Life of Grief and Joy, and The Soldier’s Guide to PTSD: A No Sh*t Guide to Reclaiming Your Life.
The PTSD one is something I found on Kindle. It caught my eye when looking at books about PTSD for my Peer Support Training Class, which ended December 2. After 60 hours of training, Mark and Will and I are Peer Support Specialists. It’s inspiring and intimidating at the same time. God will guide us through this, and I feel good about the connections we’ve made. A new way to start 2023, with the PSS designation after my name.

After learning about Veterans Issues in a short course, I’m intrigued by many subjects related to what we’ve studied. It probably wouldn’t look too good right now, looking at the books I’m browsing and looking at; Suicide, Veteran Suicide, PTSD, Military Families, and many others. I want to help. If the Babe and I can do it together, so be it. We will be engaging with people from Moving Veterans Forward and 50 Mile March on a regular basis, and Guitars for Vets, too.
We’ve ended our volunteer work at VFW Post 2503. The Babe is training his successor at Quartermaster. We want to work closer to the Veterans themselves, and have found a way to do it. 2023 will be a wonderful, fulfilling year.
What are you reading now? Do you keep track of how many books you read every year? Do you keep track of the titles to avoid repeating them?