Message In A Bible

I had a fun chat with my friend over Facebook last night.  It only reinforced what I have been thinking about over the last day or so, and here it is:

Blog posts are not scripture.

Scripture is scripture.

Read your scriptures.

My grandmother read her scriptures.  She really knew her stuff.  So when my Mom offered to give me some of my Grandmother's old copies of scriptures that she had used for years, I gladly took them.  Just to open them and smell her familiar scent on the pages was a joy and a wonder. But to see notes in her hand-writing as well, was also so special and insightful into who she was, what she thought about, and what she valued.

My five-year-old son Guy has adopted my Grandma's old Bible as his own first Bible.  I like the words found on this bookmark that she used:

My Grandma saw more than her fair share of hardships during her lifetime, so I know that this poem must've been especially poignant to her as she sought inspiration and strength in the pages of this Bible.

I flipped a few more pages and found this note that my Mother had typed out for my Grandma using an real live typewriter!  My grandma must've really treasured this note from her daughter to keep it tucked safely inside her Bible all these years.  Along with it was a newspaper clipping of her step-father's obit.  Pressed tightly between the pages all of this time preserved it perfectly.

It would be my crowning achievement if my children were to say these things about me some day!  I can understand why grandma saved this note.

The other night, Guy asked me to read to him from his Bible at bedtime.

When I read, "And God said, 'Let there be light,'" Guy's whole face lit up as he said, "We learned that in church!!"  I felt really close to my Grandma that evening as Guy urged me not to stop reading aloud to him and Scarlett, but to read on.  I decided to wrap up our bedtime rituals by telling them a true bedtime story about my Grandma Gladys and her little brother who they affectionately called Junior.  Guy and Scarlett laid on their stomachs, eyes wide with their fists supporting their chins.  They loved the story which began with tragedy and ended in triumph.

Like I said, it's a true story, about my family.

It really happened, and God was in the details, just like the stories we read about in the scriptures.  They're better and truer and more inspiring and uplifting than any blog post you'll ever read.

So...what are you waiting for?

You've got all weekend.  You've got all day.  You've got this moment.

Put down your mouse and pick up your scriptures.

You'll be so glad you did.

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