The Story Behind the Shelf

The Corner Shelf? What in the world? 

I know you’re thinking it, so I’m here to answer the unspoken questions. What exactly is this littler corner of the web and why? The answer starts the same way most do…

The Long, Wordy, Story Version…

Once upon a time, there was a little girl. She was small, and opinionated, with blonde hair to match her blonde mental state. She would play pretend in her bedroom, where she would go from a pioneer mother nurturing her children in the wilderness, to a spy during World War II who rescued children and saved the day.

Her little room, was her special place. No one else ever quite understood why. There were papers taped to the walls, and pictures placed on every spare square inch of dresser space. Her bed was covered in animals, and she knew each one by name. The color scheme didn’t match, and it made some people twitch. But to her, it was home. 

It was in this little room, that this little girl learned to love reading. She would sit beneath her window during the sunset, or stay up late on her bed with nothing but a booklight (named Fabio) to light the words she devoured. Her bedside table always had a stack of books on it, and she was reading every one of them. Books. She loved them so.

Why did she love books so much? That’s a question that goes rather deep. You see, this little girl didn’t love all books. In fact, there were books she hated. She only liked a certain kind. Books that reminded her that she wasn’t alone, that there was something, Someone, greater than her, with a plan for this life that sometimes seemed to be pure chaos.

Books that reminded her that she wasn’t alone, that there was something, Someone, greater than her, with a plan for this life that sometimes seemed to be pure chaos.

Do you know what happened?

She found that Someone. In a book. The Book that changed her whole world.

His name, is Jesus, and that book, was the Bible.

This little girl began to grow up, and as she grew, she started to understand that books were powerful. They either pointed you to the truth or away from it. Every story has the chance to leave a mark on it’s reader, and she wanted to find books that would leave an eternal mark. Books that pointed back to the greatest Story ever told. So she started a collection.

Everybody knows that a collection, of any sort, needs a place to be contained. This became a problem for the girl, because she didn’t have a place to use. One day, her Daddy and Momma gave her a box from Wal-Mart, and inside were the pieces to build a five shelf book case. So she sat down, and began to work.

In one night, she managed to piece it together, raise it up, and tether it to her wall in a little corner of her room. She stood back, smiled and then set a book on that top shelf.

Over the years, as the little girl turned into an older girl, and then a woman, the collection on her corner shelf grew. Story after story, that pointed to the main Story, was read, loved, and saved.

But then, one day, that old corner shelf had to be left behind. That little girl got to grow up in that room, but everyone knows that to grow up, sometimes means having to leave good things behind for better ones. So one day, with tears in her eyes, she said goodbye to the faithful keeper of her treasures, packed up her books in boxes and prepared to leave that corner shelf for a new adventure.

but everyone knows that to grow up, sometimes means having to leave good things behind for better ones.

Since she had outgrown that little bedroom, and that special shelf, she looked for a new way to collect her stories, share them, and point back to her Savior. So she did what a lot of high school graduate aged girls do, and she started a blog.

This, is that blog.

It’s more than that though, it’s her collection. It’s the keeper of her literary treasures, it’s her Corner Shelf, and of all the places you could’ve ended up, here you are. Welcome.

The Short, Fast, Quick Version…

You probably figured out that little girl is me. Hey guys! *waves hand awkwardly*

Tired of the rambling? Ready for the short answer? Here it is.

This is my new (digital) Corner Shelf, the place to not only hold all my favorites, but to share them with you! Stories here are meant to point us all back to the greatest Story ever told. If it doesn’t do that well, it doesn’t stick around.

Every Wednesday, you’ll find a book review, interview, or guest post. Throughout the week you may or may not find some other random posts (like this one) most likely relating to personal thoughts or fun findings. Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy it. This Wednesday, my first review comes to the blog, and it’s on one of my favorite books of all time, so be sure to check back to see it.

Some final thoughts…

I’m really excited about this new adventure, in case you couldn’t tell. But if it weren’t for the support and encouragement of some very dear people, I would never have done it. I won’t name them, because they don’t like attention, but they know who they are. The ones who told me not to give up, the ones who told me being a writer doesn’t just mean being published, and the ones who remind me to use every gift, every talent, every skill, for the glory of my King. This blog, is dedicated to them.

With that, I warmly and officially welcome you to The Corner Shelf.