Proverbs 24:3, 4  By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

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An article yesterday provided details about ten things that lose value as soon as you purchase them. Among the items listed were books. The writer had the temerity to say books lose value quickly, immediately in his opinion.

Let me ask you: How would I know the word temerity if I had not read it in a book and wondered what it means? This is a value add. By the way, it means excessive confidence or boldness.

Let me state with equal temerity, good books appreciate with time. A literature professor at Baylor University reads The Lord of the Rings every year. Here’s guessing he does not value Tolkien’s masterpiece less and less, but more and more.

Virtually every room in our home is stuffed with books. When we moved to this home fifteen years ago, we placed bookcases in every space available. My bride said, “Thou shalt not bring any more books into this house!” She is a funny, funny lady.

This was about the time a gift of all gifts was created called the Kindle. We each have one which is similarly stuffed like our house. There is also the Kindle app on our iPads. This makes it easier to take notes and preserve them for future use.

Apple and Barnes and Noble also have reading apps. While space for physical books in our home is now tightly limited, our reading devices and apps runneth over.

The value of a book is what we do with it. Some people use them for decorations. Some people collect rare editions. Our son purchased a first edition of Tolkien’s Silmarillion as a gift for me. It is a treasure. On one special occasion several years ago, we gave one another the same book.

The best use of a book is, of course, reading it. Reading furnishes our minds with souvenirs and memorabilia and treasures creating all kinds of conversation starters. Reading enriches our knowledge and understanding. It amplifies our expression. It maximizes our capacities. It deepens our emotional responses.

Fill your home with rare and beautiful treasures. Fill your home with books. Homes filled with books are homes filled with wisdom.

A well-known author is researching details related to The Wizard of Oz, both the book and the movie. We were discussing this recently and sharing trivia about the movie. I told him how my mother read to me when I was four or five years old from a delightfully thick and heavy edition of this classic.

What precious memories do you have related to books? How full is your house, your Kindle, your app? How full of rare and beautiful treasures are the rooms of your mind?

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I will fill my house and my mind with rare and beautiful treasures from the magnificent journeys made possible by good books.