Remembering Times Past

Yesterday I found something really special in the reception room of the hospital: a Scofield Reference Bible in the Authorized King James Version, of course. The first printing of this Bible was in 1909 by the Oxford Printing Press. I don't know when this copy was printed - but it is in great condition, so it can't be that old.

The thing that makes this Bible so special to me is that it is the same edition my Great Grandmother Addie Semion used to read. I recognized the spine of the book immediately and when I opened it I almost expected to see the birth dates of my aunts and uncles written in the front cover. The typeface was so familiar, and I closed my eyes and let myself drift back to when she used to read the Word to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. If you slept over at Maw Maw Addie's house, you were going to listen to her read the Bible every night. There was no option, but you know...I don't ever remember any of us putting up a fight.

We almost awaited it eagerly. We would all pile up on the green vinyl sofa-bed in her living room, pull the handmade patchwork quilts up around our shoulders, prop up on our elbows and listen. She would read from no where in particular, sometimes she took requests - and we always wanted to hear of the epic battle scenes, or the famous stories of Noah's Arc or Sampson and Delilah. She would also share with us, the notes at the bottom of the page, and it was from her Bible that I learned what those little numbers in the middle meant. She would flip back to the concordance, and show us the maps at the back of the book.

So...what did I do...standing in the reception room at the hospital...holding this little link to my past? I took the Bible. The Bible is the most shoplifted book in the world - it's true. Ha Ha...I am not really sure if this is stealing. I am still working on that one. I can't ask permission because Martin and Wendy won't be back from the States until Friday, so until then...I have moved it to my apartment for safe keeping. :-)

The Bible even smells like Maw Maw's house - like an old library, and I like that. There aren't many things I have to remember her by, so this - while it lasts - is very special.

So here's to past traditions, and to making new ones. We get to decide what we pass on to our children and grandchildren...so what will it be? What traditions are you making in your home?