When my son was little, I went overboard. I bought every educational game I could find, I made flash cards with the 100 most frequently used words in the English language, I sang rhymes all day and for bedtime I would sing him every children's song I knew. There were a lot.

I so desperately wanted him to be a good student when he eventually went to elementary school that I even used time-outs as an excuse to get him to do academic work. Instead of having him just sit in his room quietly, I made him do an activity sheet. When he got into a lot of trouble, he would do four.

Let me make a few excuses before I go on: It was my first child. I really wanted him to succeed in life. I wanted him to have a head start and to have advantages I did not have growing up (My parents came to North America knowing only one word in English: Help!), and I wanted him to maximize on the intelligence God gave him.

Naturally, I feel guilty now, but there is one thing I'm not sure I regret: When he was six years old I started paying him to read chapter books. I gave him one dollar for each chapter he finished. A few months passed, and I started feeling silly for doing that. Here I was buying the books, lots of books so he could have a choice—and he was picky—and to top that off I was paying him to read them!

So one day, I said to myself, "That is it. I'm not doing this anymore. It's ridiculous. I am so desperate for him to become a reader (because I believe that books give you endless opportunities and  emotional and intellectual intelligence) that I am actually paying him." Something just didn't feel right about it. So I walked up to him and said, "I'm not paying you anymore. You can read if you want to, and if you don't want to, don't do it."

But—despite my thinking I went overboard and feeling guilty about bribing a child to read—today he is a voracious reader. He absolutely adores books. He needs a new one all the time, which, mind you, I do not buy anymore. We are now frequent visitors to the library.

I don't know if it's because of all the books he's read or if he would have been the way he is with or without the books, but he is a kind soon-to-be teenager. He is empathetic and extremely well spoken. The other day he wrote me a birthday card; I couldn't believe the words came from his hand. They were beautiful.

As for the kindness, when a person once knocked on our door asking for money and my ex-husband sent him away, he ran upstairs yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! There was a man at the door who needed  money and he left! Mommy!"

Well, I ran downstairs and out into the street to give the person what I could.

The marriage didn't last long after that, but my son is still reading and helping whenever he can.

Over the years, I have evolved due to the many experiences I have lived, but also because of the memorable books I have read which have affected me long term. These have stuck with me and have melded themselves as part of my character. In fact, there are a couple which I can specifically credit for some of the values I hold dear.

Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True taught about forgiveness. If Dominick could forgive his father for all those horrible things that happened, then I could surely forgive anyone. So, every time I start remembering something unpleasant, I think of Wally Lamb's twins.

Audrey Lordes' words tapped into the different kinds of love and how anger could be turned into strength. She taught me about beauty and about how women, all women, can be beautiful. She also taps into what it means to raise a son. She shows what it is to live through the world through the screen of mother, human, and woman.

Jeannette Winterson's explored how women could be funny and sharp and cool at the same time. I especially remember the shocking scene where Jove pretended that his wife was dead in order to have a slice of her thigh. He was upset that his cuckold wife had stolen his mistress. Very well told in Jeannette Winterson's nonchalant, sharp style.

Rohington Mistry's A Fine Balance exposed the strength of the human spirit and that everything is relative. You see, Omprakash and Irvash were reduced to beggars. And still they had light, lightness of spirit, hope, appreciation. They found beauty and kindness and joy in the things around them as they were. And Dina, who had been obsessed with her money, afraid that they wanted it from her, ended up giving it to them  when she no longer had it. It is done remarkably and is intricate like lace. The ending of this book is out-of-this-world. What Dina did for them in the end is almost unimaginable. You will want to smile and cry when you read how and in what she served them. If only Omprakash and Irvash were real.

Harper Lee's words in To Kill a Mockingbird  shows the reader how to fall in love forever, with little girls and ghosts and games and children and with Atticus and his honour and respect of his children and the town. The character of Boo teaches how to love all people despite their differences. This book taught me to read with my soul, to seek magic forever, in words.

Michael Ondaatje's taught that words have energy and can affect you on so many levels. They can slow down your breath or speed it up and they can make you stare and have your mouth drop open. They can make you think, I want to do that; I want to go there; I want to meet him; I want to see; I want to read his words again, just once more.

The Bible taught that words have power and can make things happen. The very first words I read when I picked up the bible after twenty years are: In the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

Sick, sick, sick. These people are always sick. First Johnny catches the flu, then Sam gets back pain. Next I find out Susan is pregnant. Don't they know I have a business to run? Businesses don't run themselves. They need actual people there, operating the machinery, making decisions, making client contact to keep us growing—to keep us thriving.

So, how do I fix this problem? How do I get them to stop being sick?

There are a number of theories available out there, one of which is to provide a healthy work environment. Now, this can be taken either figuratively or literally or both. Perhaps I can give Sam his more comfortable work chair, Johnny his flu shot, and Susan, well, her year off to raise her baby, I guess.

Or, I could install air purifiers and maybe even some plants to keep the air enriched and oxygenated. Or what about a regular...hmmm...monthly medical checkup? Wait, I got it—I'll get them all medical insurance. That way, they can all go the doctor on their own, outside of work hours...

Besides that, well, I've heard the term psychosomatic symptoms. Apparently, if you're feeling down or depressed or completely miserable about something taking place in your life, you become sick. Heck, what am I supposed to do about this? I'm just their employer. I can't control if Johnny's wife told him off that morning or if Sam's is throwing him out, or if Susan's husband can't keep his hands off her and she keeps getting pregnant! What exactly am I supposed to do about that?

How can I run a business with pregnant women running around–throwing up in my bathroom?

Oh, wait, yes...I was born that way too. Oh, and yes, I caught the flu once, I think. Oh, and back pain is the pits. The real pits. I hurt my back lifting a pregnant woman while I had the flu a few years back.

Maybe I should hire robots. They never get sick.

Or maybe not.

I'd be alone with my ailments.