Katy McKenna Raymond  
Personal blog of christian writer Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri


Katy is represented by
Greg Johnson at
WordServe Literary

Read more Katy at
LateBoomer.net

Follow Katy on Twitter

Follow Katy on Facebook

Do You Remember Where You Were When…?

If you're as old as I am, you have no problem remembering where you were when you first heard of JFK's death, or Robert Kennedy's, or Martin Luther King's.

If you're younger, you probably still remember when you heard that Princess Diana had died, or Mother Teresa, or Erma Bombeck. I'll confess right here that I cried more over Erma than Diana or Teresa, but I know that's probably just me.

Here's my question: Do you remember the first moment you realized that you could read? Were you hooked on phonics before it cost money? Did you sound out two consonants and one vowel all by yourself in Sister Sheila Ann's first grade class and come up with the word "cat"? Or "Mom" or "Dad" or "God"?

Reading the name of "God" all by myself was a huge spiritual revelation to me, because it meant that I would not depend only on what others told me about Him, but also on what I read about Him on my own. Reading His name was the beginning of getting to know Him.

Do you remember exactly how it felt when you discovered you could read not only one isolated word on the page, but also the very next one and then the one after that? At St. Elizabeth's School, our primer featured David and Ann, whose five-word adventures I could not wait to read day after day. They became, in a very real sense, my new best friends.

Of all the mysteries--solved and unsolved--creation has to offer, I can't imagine one more rewarding than cracking the code of letters and words, sentences, paragraphs, and books.

Do you remember where you were when you first put word and word together? Can you still feel the thrill?
Posted by Katy on 07/28/05 at 01:26 PM
Fallible Comments...
  1. Oh yes, I can still feel the thrill . . . every time I pick up a brilliant novel or stumble upon a poetic masterpiece or read fallible.com . . . it all comes back to me. The written word thrills my heart.
    -----
    Posted by Amber  on  07/28/05  at  09:36 PM
  2. So cool that this is your topic! I, just this week, was telling a friend about how I can still remember the day I realized I could READ TO MYSELF! Didn't have to wait to read aloud in Mrs. Yont's reading circle. I had acquired the MAGIC that allowed me to secretly be reading all the words and signs and posters around me and NOBODY COULD TELL I WAS READING THEM! Woooowhoooo! That was some kinda power!
    Posted by Susan  on  07/29/05  at  04:30 AM
  3. Yes! I'm 46 and I'll never forget the thrill that surged through me when I read my first word. I was five, sitting on my mothers lap as we read together and it suddenly clicked! I put the sounds together and was instantly, forever hooked.
    Posted by Patti  on  07/29/05  at  06:36 AM
  4. Well, I don't remember it, but my mother sure does. She used to read to me every night, and apparantly I taught myself to read by following along with the words. She assumed I was just memorizing the story. (I was 4 -- I think she had to read "Pablo, the Penguin that Hated the Cold" about 5,000 times...) My first day of kindergarden though, she got a call from my teacher. Apparently, Mrs. May had been reading a book to the class, when I started reading it along with her. She then invited me to come sit with her and read the rest to the class myself. After I finished, she asked if I had that book at home, and I said no. I guess she was also assuming memorization, because she wouldn't believe me! The phone call to my Mom was to confirm that no, not only did we not own that book, but had never even heard of it! (this is one of my Mother's proudest stories of my childhood, so I may have heard it almost as many times as the story of Pablo!)
    Posted by bun-girl  on  07/29/05  at  03:21 PM
  5. I don't remember learning how to read, either. I do remember getting to kindergarten and being disappointed that there were no "chapter books" (I wasn't reading Dickens at age 5, but I was reading Henry and Mudge-esque books with brief chapters comprised of simple stories). I wish I could remember learning to read - I imagine it is an amazing sensation to stare at these strange marks and then suddenly realize they have meaning, and that you can decode it.
    Posted by Bethany  on  07/29/05  at  11:13 PM
  6. Today on my blog I posted the first 50 things in 100 Things About Me. One of them was "I enjoy reading aloud and being read to." This is a lost art, I believe. I learned to read using the backs and sides of cereal boxes: ri-bo-fla-vin, ni-a-cin...I also remember standing next to my mother in church with the hymnal and not knowing all the words, but watching very closely while listening to her. I'd say to myself, "oh, that's what that word is" and from then on, knowing it. Praise God for hymns! (I love them anyway, of course.)
    Posted by Paula  on  07/31/05  at  03:05 AM
  7. Amber--You know what's fun? No matter how old you get, reading is just as thrilling as you find it now (as a VERY young chick...)!

    Susan--Great minds, huh? :) I remember when I realized that not everyone reads every poster, cereal box, etc, even if they can. I LOVE the magic of reading everything in sight, the secret love affair of it all....

    Patti--That is so sweet. I'm sure my mother must have read to me, but I don't remember it at all. That's a precious memory to have of you and your mom and the "magic."

    bun-girl--What a fabulous story!! Wow, you're a reading prodigy! I'm not--I didn't learn to read until age 6, but it stuck!

    Bethany--Chapter books? At age 5? That is so cool. Yeah, school can be might disappointing when you're already craving what they can't deliver... I want to see you again!

    Paula--My husband and I read aloud to each other. Not regularly, but we enjoy it when we do. I didn't learn to read with hymns, but I sure have nice memories of sharing a hymnbook with my father, and his lovely harmonies.
    Posted by Katy  on  08/02/05  at  04:07 PM
  8. I don't remember learning. Not even close. I realize I must have picked it up myself somewhere between three and five, since I remember being confounded by the skipping pattern of lyric lines in the hymnal at the church my dad then pastored, and reading the two-thirds-intact tale of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer one sticky summer in the green room. Words seem to have always been there, and always to have been comforting. The cereal box, billboards, fine print, dictionaries... ah, I love the dictionary. Even rolling words through my head like round stones calms me down. Chosen, mellifluous, dilapidated, rabble, woven thing and fine, elongated, elegant. Set to rights and set two Wrights.... I am an amateur wordsmith, but I love these small gems so.
    Posted by Libby  on  08/03/05  at  06:36 PM
  9. Well, I can't remember my first words but my father said it was "dada". Guess I was about 1 yr and 2 months old. Pretty early huh.
    Posted by Speakers  on  11/24/08  at  03:28 PM
  10. Really a educative and informative post, the post is good in all regards,I am glad to read this post.
    Posted by Michel-Alaska Personal Injury Lawyer  on  03/07/09  at  01:57 AM
  11. Thanks for post..I have'nt boring of reading this article.
    Posted by atasözleri  on  07/25/09  at  11:59 AM
  12. John F. Kennedy just weeks after his assassination, is for orchestra, soprano soloist, chorus and narrator. It will highlight "Lenny's Spiritual Side," an all-Bernstein concert that the Winston-Salem Symphony will present next weekend in the Stevens Center.
    Posted by personal injury lawyer houston  on  09/02/09  at  10:49 PM
  13. For those who are younger yet, I'm sure they all remember where they were at on 9/11. It's crazy how every generation has these moments. <a href="http://www.grandrapids-lasik.com" style="font-size: 1pt; color: #FDFBFB;">grand rapids lasik eye surgery</a>
    Posted by Jack H  on  10/22/09  at  09:37 PM
  14. Hello,

    Thanks for provide information.

    <a href="http://www.lbf.in/">Learn By Fun Books</a> Books have been made helpful for the parents and teachers by using very simple and easy language. The teachers teach lesson in the school and if the students are not able to understand at that time, then students themselves can understand the lesson by the help of these books.
    Posted by roger  on  03/22/10  at  12:10 AM
  15. The lyrics are, Do you remember when you were drowning in the sea of sin? Going down for the last time before you called on His name? Oh, He reached out His nail pierced hand and He lifted you out. So remember where you were back then and praise Him for where you are now...
    <a href="http://www.transfertests.co.uk/">Transfer Test Northern Ireland</a>
    Posted by villash  on  08/19/10  at  06:14 AM
  16. I make the rounds of the wing, down to the physical therapy room and then the dining room, peeking into corners, searching for Mom. On my way back to her room, I stop at the nurse’s station to enquire...
    <a href="http://www.11plustrainer.co.uk/">Eleven Plus </a>
    Posted by hasan  on  09/09/10  at  11:58 PM
  17. We all have fond memories of our past and we like tot ell them to other people - most often to younger ones. Oh the memories! This is Karen of internet marketing chicago office wishing your blog more success.
    Posted by KarenGuz  on  10/28/10  at  09:25 AM
  18. Мы предлагаем Вам недорогой отдых в Анапе на любой вкус: санатории с лечением, отдых в пансионатах, отдых в Витязево, Джемете, недорогой отдых в частном секторе, отдых в Сукко, Благовещенской
    Posted by отдых в Анапе  on  03/18/11  at  02:46 PM
  19. I wish I could forget learning to read - I guess this is an incredible feeling to watch these strange characters and then suddenly you are relevant, and that you can unlock it.I guess he was assuming that the outside because he did not believe me! Call my mother had to confirm that it is not only that our book, but had never heard of it!
    Posted by boat parts  on  05/01/11  at  01:23 PM
  20. I'm sure my mother read to me, but I do not remember it at all. It is a precious memory for you and your mother, and the "magic".bun-girl-What glorious! Wow, you're reading a child prodigy! I do, I learned to read until the age of 6 years, but it happened!
    Posted by Graphic Web Design Perth  on  05/04/11  at  02:29 AM
  21. Thank you for sharing all this great information. <a ><b> Unlocking Code</b></a>
    Posted by Easy Unlocks  on  07/25/11  at  01:38 AM
  22. Hey..this blog is example of one fine piece of writing..it is highly informative and beneficial...thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts and expertise on such important and valuable issues...Adorable Pictures as well.....keep posting..! ! !Visit this : <a href="http://www.ctfinebistro.com/">Edmonton Symphony</a>
    Posted by Winspear Center  on  08/23/11  at  03:07 AM
  23. I thank the Lord every day when I <a href="http://pray-4me.com">pray</a>
    Posted by prayer  on  09/25/11  at  08:35 PM
  24. I'm not actually too old but I can't remember some of my past experiences now, I remember only those happy and unforgettable moment of my life as what it means.
    Posted by verhuren  on  09/29/11  at  03:08 AM
  25. I found it to be informative and inspirational. Now, I don’t use that term much, inspirational, but it’s a well-run gathering and an effective incubator for ideas.
    Posted by what is property investment  on  06/20/12  at  11:29 PM
  26. Попробую объяснить в двух словах.
    Каждый из нас не неднократно сталкивался с ситуацией,
    когда вынуждены заново инсталлировать Windows.
    Уверен, что для всех это ситуация неприятна,потому-что:
    - инсталляция занимает почти 2 часа;
    - затем установки Windows
    должен инсталлировать много
    программ, которые используются на компьютере.
    Так вот, чтобы избежать этих неприятных моментов
    помогает создание образа системного диска.
    Как мы будем делать образ диска?
    С помощью программы <a >Acronics True Image.</a>
    Posted by encorneromimb  on  11/07/12  at  10:45 AM
    27. Page 1 of 1 pages
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

Next entry: Why I Finally Purchased A China Cabinet

Previous entry: And I Don't Have To Go Right Now

<< Back to main