Birds of Prey, Food in Jars
The 2nd overdue notice came in from the public library. I had already limped my renewals along as long as I dared. I did not want to surrender these precious books, though I had not given them the attention they deserved after opening them Christmas morning. Yet here it is, March, and it is time to surrender them back.
These particular presents were simply among the best I've ever received. Our second-born had the idea -- one I hope you'll pass along to your children or grandchildren, as well as the neighborhood crew -- to check out books from the public library that she thought we'd enjoy looking at but never actually check out for ourselves.
The books she selected and wrapped up for me under the Christmas tree were, to my immense delight, Birds of Prey and Food in Jars. I have never put food in jars in my life, but she knew that I'd enjoy the aesthetics and intention of the book. She was right. Her selection of Birds of Prey was almost risk-free. Throw a bird-book at me, and I'm as content as a crow at the side of the road.
But, really, the gift was not the books, not the objects themselves. The gift was her attention to me as a particular person, her thoughtful action grounded in that attention. That powerful combination of attention, mind, and love is something that money alone cannot buy. She thought about me, about us, and then took a true risk in making a judgment call. I'm still gnawing on the goodness and grace of this gift.
So when that notice came in from the library, calling these long lost books home, an exquisite pain washed over me. Spring is here. Winter is over. Time marches on. The book shepherds are calling their lost sheep home, to tuck away on the shelf for another intrepid gift-giver to discover. The memory remains, and I continue to thrill at the thought of being thought of, at the memory of unwrapping a library book somebody else checked out for me on Christmas morning, deep into spring.
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If you are a reader who prays, I'd welcome your prayers as we prepare for our next move and as I continue to labor in my dissertation draft writing. Thank you.
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