In the midst of all the things that my Grandma Luethje saved over the years (like plastic utensils and pantyhose to make rugs and a ginormous Avon collection) we found some real treasures. Tucked away in random corners of her house, we discovered pieces of our family history, things that had been passed down from generation to generation and carefully preserved. We found old letters that Grandma and Grandpa wrote back and forth to each other when he was stationed in Italy during WWII. We found stacks and boxes of old family photos and negatives. And, tucked onto a shelf with some other old books, we found this…
For someone who loves books as much as I do, I was so excited to be able to take this old family Bible home with me. Flipping carefully though the pages, I can only wonder how many hands it over the years, how many people studied the passages, how many parents sat down and read it to their children. And the little notes and dated napkins and bookmarks scraps of paper tucked within the pages are almost as fascinating as the book itself, because somehow they seem to be telling a story all their own.
When I knew I would be taking the Bible home with me, I decided I wanted to make sure I found someplace safe to keep it. I ran across this old wooden box in one of the closets in Grandma’s basement, and thought it looked like it might be the perfect size, so I set it aside.
And I guess I forgot to look inside and empty it before I packed it to bring it home, because when I opened it up to place the Bible inside, I found these…
Since I am neither the watch-wearing, nor the purse-carrying type, I figure there is not much sense in keeping any of these. But, like almost everything in Grandma’s house, they are in such great shape, I can’t really just throw them in the trash. So, they’re going to go off and find a new home and hopefully someone that can appreciate them as much as my Grandmother did to save them for so long.
As for my Bible, it has finally found a new home.
Lori Romano 