A few minutes ago, I caught my student writer looking in the dictionary. I beamed with pride. I am training her right. It was even more exciting than when I noticed she was editing her work prior to giving it to me. A few more months with me and this girl will either be brilliant or crazy.

The dictionary reminded me of my glory days of being copy editor of the school newspaper. I was in editor overdrive in those days. I carried my red, beaten and battered copy of the Merriam-Webster College Dictionary everywhere I went. It was a fixture in my backpack.

These days aren't much different, except I don't have an excuse to look at it nearly as much. I have a trusty copy on the shelf above my computer at work, and I have my personal copy in the backseat of my car. Yes, in my car. I thought about it, and this is the best way to make sure I have constant access to it. Where I am, my car is also. If I'm at home, it's just a few hundred feet away in my car. If I'm visiting a friend, same scenario. The key is convenience. I sleep better knowing that if I wake up in the middle of the night with a spelling question, I can find an answer.

Call me crazy, but the dictionary is almost like a friend to me. It ranks right up there with the Bible as one of the most amazing books in the world. Check it out sometime. You might learn something.