'words are life'

'She would remind him how the sun felt on his skin, and what the air felt like to breathe, and that reminded her that she was still alive'

I took a trip to the cinema to see 'The Book Thief' this afternoon, and what a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I have been given some welcomed words this week, along the lines of sitting still and allowing the universe to move around us. I chose to sit still this afternoon..

I feel quite saddened that I had this book on my shelf for so long and did not pick it up to read (oh, the guilt that comes from reading a non-academic book). Nevertheless, I have been utterly blown away by the story. Well, not the story, but the telling of the story, and the detail and meaning. A narrative which essentially follows a young girl through the rise of Nazi Germany in WW2 is given so much depth through the gentle reminders that life is about being alive. And part of being alive is living through our use of words and language. Once we use our eyes and notice the world around us, and once we assign meaning to our choice of words, we can share them with another human being. There is something very powerful about the written/spoken language, and something even more powerful comes from communicating from one human being to another. A story that engages with life, and discusses the 'lightness' of the soul, is a story worth sharing.