NORWAY – Long-time Sun Journal “Voices of Maine” columnist Jeanette Baldridge will read from her recently published book, “Ordinary Days,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, at Norway Memorial Library on Main Street.

The book, a collection of essays, explores the meaning of time and spirit and ponders the value of family.

In the essay from which the book gets its name, Baldridge writes:

“Lying in bed later, unable to sleep, I realized how much we take for granted, how we go through our days preoccupied with unimportant things, oblivious to the miracle of all our perfectly wonderful, ordinary days: Cheerios in the morning, off to work, back home again, supper, a game of dominos, bed. Ordinary. Yet priceless – golden threads we weave into the fabric of our lives.”

Baldridge’s audience is the people of Maine, and although her reflections are universal, she liberally sprinkles references about the people, places and things that have endeared her to the Oxford Hills.

Through her, as well, readers get to know a great deal about her husband, Donnie, her high school sweetheart, and the other members of her family. Baldridge is refreshingly candid about her family life, her hopes and dreams, the inner life she inhabits as she goes about her daily routine as a mother, wife, writer and writing teacher.

“This book is dedicated to my family and every family who understand the importance of love and forgiveness and staying together even when times get tough,” she writes.

Baldridge, now a grandmother, says “It’s as if my life has sped over the tops of the mountain and is now speeding down the other side. I can’t slow down time, and I can’t relive what is already gone, even though I’d like to. But I can pay attention to every day and the people who fill up those days.”