TREASURED BOOK

This is a very special book I received for my birthday this year, from my brother-in-law, Tommy. He and I share an affinity for the written word. [Of course, he remembers when they first started printing books, I think he was a teenager then...JUST KIDDING :)] And I think he is the only other person I know who can get excited about an old book. He has quite a collection, and enjoys searching for them. He picked this one for me, and I love it. It is titled Grandmother's Child, written by Annie S Swan. It is the sweetest story of a family in London and as you can see from the inscription, this lady received as a gift in 1892. I wonder just where else this old book has been and who else has read this story. Did they find it both sad and heart warming as I did? Was it given to them by someone they loved and cared about? Did it lay in an attic somewhere, or was it stored in a trunk with someones belongings? Was it tucked away on a bookcase somewhere, or was it sold in a library sale of old books? Of course, I'll never know, but I do know something of its life from now on. It will be stored on my bookcase and listed among my treasures. I will read it one day to a grandchild, and pass it on as a dear possession to be kept and read again.

Treasure, you know, has very little to do with monetary value. To me, treasures are those things that speak to your soul, and strike a chord of the beautiful and lovely things of this world. They certainly do not have to BE beautiful, just remind you of it. This book reminds me of the love between a mother and daughter, and finally a granddaughter. It reminds me of how great forgiveness can be and it shows the tenacious spirit of a young child.

Thank-you, Thomas, for this wonderful present. Thank you for recognizing how I would delight in owning this book. I'm so glad you are my brother.