Sitting here on the porch this evening my mind wandered back to my mother and some things I never told her. for some reason or other I went and got her old bible off the shelf and spent a few moments looking through it. Like all old bibles they tell a story about the person to whom they belonged. You can tell by the overall condition the many hours of service, so to speak and if you look close enough the wear of certain sections or pages paint a picture of their journey through the scriptures. One thing for sure…if that bible had been a daily companion of that person it most likely can and will tell a story. Inserts, now these are big items…the fact that they were placed in the bible indicates their special place in the mind and heart of the owner. My mother’s bible was full of birth and death announcements. This reminded me how much the actions of my mother always were centered on her children and the family in general. We were a military family and that meant that the day to day things of kids and running of the household rested on her. I don’t remember her having many close friends, she never learned to drive and had little interest in anything outside the home. She was an expert at setting up house, after all we moved every four years…or so. Five kids a dog and a parakeet and my mother loved us all. The best I can remember every day she read her bible, the condition of the pages attest to that. That bible had a lot of miles on it, it was given to her by her mom and dad…on her confirmation in the church. There it was along with the memories of things I didn’t say a reminder of things I did not do. Put away among the pages of moms bible was an article from an old Ann Landers column. Landers was an advice writer of her day. It was about a mother who was sad about the fact that her kids, once grown did not come around much. I am 80 years old now and the tears welled up in my eyes when I read that.

The pages of that bible were wrinkled and discolored from the years it had been in use and the time it has spent on that shelf. I am so grateful that I got that bible. The only thing I got of my parents was of course her bible and my dads service records…Think about that a moment in this day of accumulation of stuff.  My mom and dad left me what mattered. My mom was a woman of faith and she showed us kids what God meant by unconditional love. My dad loved his country and served it for 30 years… God and Country… my mom would probably add Family. I will remember that every time I see that bible…Which I will remove from the shelf and place on my desk.

Thanks for stopping by…come back next week and sit a bit. Oh, if you wish you can ponder and rock a bit…got two find rockers…get here early.

jk