You Can Have Him, Jolene
I learned to enjoy reading at a very young age. I found it to be an escape from whatever was happening around me at home. My parents were poor, and at times, neglectful. Within the covers of a book I could be well off, or have doting parents. I could travel the world and experience places that I otherwise would never see. In high school, I began reading several books at a time because I found one just wasn’t enough for me.
I remember the visit of one of my aunts that worked for the government in the national parks. Her reading was amazing. As I sat beside her, she read through an entire book turning pages one by one as if there was only a single word to be read on each page. I was enthralled and perplexed. I even tried it myself, but never felt I captured the essence of the book. Hence, I stuck to reading nearly every word on a page while trying to improve my speed and comprehension.
It was not until my first year at George Fox, in the doctoral program, that I realized I would not be able to read every word on every page. This happened when faced with St. Augustine’s book The City of God. Try as I might, and in the limited time I had to read this book, I found that I could not get through it word by word. I got frustrated and gave up reading it altogether, twice. Finally remembering how my aunt had read, I decided to give it another go at reading faster and skimming pages for key information. I discovered I had progressed as a reader over the years in that I was finally able to attempt this method semi-successfully. Not nearly as fast yet as my aunt was, there remained hope that I would get through this book of Augustine’s in a timely manner with some degree of comprehension.
As for taking notes on books and the world around me at large, and carrying a small notebook for that purpose, I am more experienced. I have maintained this type of journal since college. There have been times when I write voraciously, and other times when my insights seem to me too scarce to write.
I immensely enjoyed the Obsidian note-taking application. After watching a few You Tube videos to get started well, I jumped right in to take notes on the books I had read for the beginning of this school year. I loved making connections.
Which brings me to Jolene… In Steal Like an Artist I read a quote about how merely imitating your heroes is not flattering them. It is when you take something of your heroes and make it your own that you have truly flattered that hero. Dolly Parton remains one of my heroes from childhood for many reasons. The musical group Chapel Heart took the song of hers, Jolene, and completely made it their own, and Dolly herself loved the new song.
My personal goal this year academically is to take what I read and experience and transform it into something of my very own – just like the song You Can Have Him, Jolene.
About the Author
Tonette Kellett
Missionary, teacher, Bible student, traveler ... Having lived in Kenya and Korea, I now live in Mississippi and work with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.6 responses to “You Can Have Him, Jolene”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Just recently, my husband and I went to see a musical production of “Oklahoma.” I had seen the movie version as a child and was looking forward to the fun dancing, memorable music, and feel good musical. I was not prepared for what ensued. This new version of the classic did not change a word from Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical, but this production created a completely different story that left us reeling. We have had many conversations about the assumptions made from the original, the nuances, and how society has changed over the past century. I, too, want to grow in my ability to transform art, writing, experiences, and make them my own.
Becca,
It’s fascinating to me how one script or book can have a variety of interpretations in film and play. It demonstrates the creative ability of the producers and directors I think. It’s my hope that my own life can be marked with this type of creative ability as well.
Tonette, Thank you so much for sharing your story and specifically, for talking about your journey as a reader. It’s fun that you can trace your reading roots back to a time you experienced with your aunt, and that you still think of that moment and lesson. I appreciate you highlighting the quote from Steal Like an Artist which refers to not merely imitating your hero, but taking something from them and making it your own. That is inspiring and I look forward to seeing the many ways in which we can do that this year!
Jenny,
I too am looking forward to all that we will accomplish this year!
Thank you for sharing. I admire your humility and boldness in how you communicate to others. You have great strength as a writer.
Thank you Greg. I admire you and the work you are doing to feed so many hungry people. It’s astounding!