Books, Music and more Books

When I think of what Media has influenced me most, my mind directly goes to books and then music. These two texts go hand in hand in my book. I have had a long history with both. I started singing when I was very little. My father had just started a church and a children's choir was founded. Off course that was my first place to go. As years went by, I started singing solos and even leading worship when I was like ten years old. These times were the hightlight of my life. Music was the first thing I ran to when i was sad or having a bad day. That's where I also ran when I was facing a good day. Music was and is still my life. When war started in Burundi, music became my refuge, I ran to it and it calmed me tremendously. I think the first thing I asked for from my dad when we arrived in kenya was a Radio. Although my siblings hated it, I would take the radio and plug it in beside the bed and sleep listening to music, a habit I haven't stopped doing. I rarely sleep without my music. It's not so much the words but the calming spirit behind the music, that is why I love classical music. Music has gotten me through a lot of life struggles. I sing my way through prayer, and through the day. I can't see myself without music, especially worship and classical music.
Music however did not become one of the greatest influence. Books became an important part of my life, when the war started. To escape it all, I read to my heart's content. My mother being very supportive kept giving me books to read. I had a wide range of books that I read when I was young. But mostly I was so fascinated by fiction, not just any fiction romance fiction. Thankfully, I restricted myself to reading only inspirational fiction, which helped me develop a healthy habit of my selection. Soon books became my obsession and my addiction later on. I could literally read two or three books a day depending on the size of the book. During the summers, there were times that I would not eat at all because I was in my room reading for the whole day. When I wanted to fast, instead of giving up food, I gave up reading books. If anybody was going to threaten me in anyway, they would use my books as a weapon. I loved my books and still do. Lately, my frequent visit with my books as my time is being consumed by school work. Therefore, my addiction to books is lessening but not quiet enough to stop me from taking a day to spend time reading. I would take the time to read a Lori Wick, John Piper, Joyce Meyer or Francine River's book when I see one.
Nevertheless, I appreciate the influence books have had on my life. I was inspired to write mainly because most of the endings in the fiction books were not satisfying. Therefore I wanted to create my own endings to stories. That's how I became a writer. Not are books and music my safe haven, but writing has also become my escape.