The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis

This book is amazing.  I must admit, I had an issue with an extreme desire for office supplies.  I’m always scooping up pens, post it notes, paper, you name it, to complete my arsenal of supplies at home.  Once I admitted that it was stealing I worked hard at not engaging in the behavior.  Ok so I’ve been stealing office supplies since for ever.  Two months ago, I was at work and I needed to locate two books for my classrooms.  On my journey to find the books, my first stop was the library, to no avail.  My next stop was a room that served as a lunch room and a depository of books.  I had been shopping in this room for quite some time, you see anything in this room can be taken (not stolen) simply taken at will.  As I look through the various bookcases I get to the last row and I still have not found my book.  Upon exiting the room I glean over the table just to take a look and I see nothing.  However, at the last table, there is a small red book, I think to my self, wow I just noticed this one book on this large table all by itself.  How come I didn’t notice it before.  I lean over to look at the title and was called “The Imitation of Christ”  I chuckle to myself and walk away.  You see my focus was on the word “Imitation” and the meaning behind it.  What could be interesting about a “fake” Christ was my immediate reactions and hence the reason for my laughter.  Before I turned the knob on the door, “something” caused me turn around and go back to the book and pick it up.  To my amazement, instantaneously I knew I needed to “take” that book.  I looked around (no one was in the room but me – that was odd) any-who, I looked up and I said to Him, You knew I was going to pick this book and You knew I was going to take it – this is the best  book I ever stolen (I prefer to say or think it was left for me) because everyday that I have read a chapter the subject matter has spoken directly to an issue that I had gone through literally the day before.  Great book I demand that everyone obtain a copy and it can used as a daily “helper”!