My Aunt’s Gift to My Grandchildren
When Ray and I visited with my aunt Emily and her husband Otto a few weeks ago, she offered me precious mementos from her childhood so that our grandchildren could play with them. She gave me almost all of her little girl books, keeping just a few special ones. I told Emily that I would write her name on the insides so that my children would know to whom they once belonged.
On Saturday I opened each one — all 59 of them — and checked to see if her name was written inside. Only a few had been inscribed. There really was no need because Daddy was twenty and my aunt Dot and uncle Ronnie were in their teens when Emily was born. I carefully wrote Emily Camille in each book just as Mama Sue would have done. Everyone else called Emily by her first name. Mama Sue must have loved the sound of both names because she often said Emily Camille. It is a beautiful name.
This past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I shuffled books here and there, as I gave long overdue attention to our house after our just over two months total days away from home this year. I put away the books we used to research From Adam to Us and the rather tall stack of books Ray and I found at conventions and at an all-book Goodwill we discovered at an Interstate exit during one of our convention trips this spring. In my shuffling I was able to clean off a shelf and put all of Emily’s books together. Here they are:
On Saturday morning, as I sat alone in the quiet, held each book in my hand, and opened it, I felt joy and contentment. It was fun to remember what was popular when I was a child, such as Mighty Mouse, the Lone Ranger, and the Mickey Mouse Club. I look forward to sharing these books and memories with our grandchildren.
The moment that gave me the most joy was when I opened the big black Bible story book and saw this inscription:
“This Book is Lovingly Presented to Little Emily Camille Boyd by Mother and Daddy, 1956.” Gifts lovingly presented, books lovingly read, meals lovingly prepared, lessons lovingly taught — that’s what every child needs.
My gift from Emily included four chapter books. One of the four was a story about a nurse. Another was a biography of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. Emily is retired from nursing. She assisted heart surgeons in the operating room.
I wonder what future you are preparing for your children with your many daily deeds lovingly presented.
But we proved to be gentle among you,
as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.
1 Thessalonians 2:7
Lovely! Each book we read is a seed planted in our heart….that applies to both children and adults! I love sharing my children’s books with my grandchildren. And it is a good idea to refresh the bookshelves.
Thank you for this post. Your grandchildren will cherish these books. It is hard to find books that are loving and non-violent. Enjoy reading these treasures to your grandchildren.
Marilyn