Antiquarian Books and E

E is my niece. (My only sister's only child, I do not have children) She is eleven years old, wonderful, charming, witty and dyslexic. The dyslexia has always been a challenge for me. I am not the only member of my family who is a book junkie, we have been reading to E since she was in the womb. For a long time I felt like I would not be able to connect with E on a book level, this was very hard as that is the level I most often function on. However, I have learned that I was wrong. E is a book junkie too. She just accesses books and stories in a different way, she listens. Don't get me wrong, she does read, but she more often listens and has learned to love stories and storytelling.

I am missing something in this telling. The feeling of hopelessness I had when we first realized that E would learn a different way was intense. But...it is countered by the more important feeling that I have now. Hopefulness for her and her future based on who she is and how she manages herself.

For example:

E asked me if I would take her to the Vermont Antiquarian Book Sale in Burlington this weekend. She was really excited to go declaring that she wanted to see a first edition "Little Women". A girl after my own heart. (We did see a first edition "Watership Down" that was very exciting for both of us.) While we were there E got into a conversation with another bookstore owner from my area. The woman was buying some poetry and asked E if she wrote poetry. E stated boldly, "No I don't, I'm dyslexic." The woman asked her if she liked to sing and E told her that she did and that she did ballet as well. The woman then talked to her about having a sense of rhythm and how if she had that then she could write poetry regardless of how she spelled. It was then that the man selling books from the stall got involved in the conversation he talked about how he read very slowly, but believed he read more thoroughly because of it. E responded with comments of her own and the three of them talked for 10 minutes. All this time I was browsing and eavesdropping, not playing a role in the conversation at all. E was so mature and confident discussing this issue with these adults.

This experience with her made me realize that she has nothing to overcome. I was the one faced with the challenge of accpeting her as she is.

I am a proud aunt.