Treasure

The house looks aged and vulnerable without the 70 year old bushes fronting the street. The garage is filled with building materials and an incredible amount of junk to be thrown into the enormous dumpster parked on the lawn. The dumpster is taller than I am. I can't quite imagine a pitching party with me being just able to reach over the top. Perhaps that is why I became overwhelmed when I saw the enormity of the task to be undertaken. There were plenty of reasons to feel overwhelmed at the time. As with any project of this size, it has expanded in scope as other problems have been identified. We have a budget, we're sticking to it and we have a deadline.

Our childhood home is getting an extreme makeover due to catastrophic water damage. It's a big project and we, the siblings, have been entrusted with the mission of updating and renovating our parents home. It isn't as if we weren't already living busy lives with family priorities, work and community involvement. Those who live the closest naturally are involved. Final decisions are father's and mother's. This is the way it should be. 

What makes a house a home? I believe it is the shared memories and history and the personalities united by blood but most importantly, united by love and acceptance. Every picture and artifact has a story. We are not the first family to "break down a family home". But we may be one of the few families to do it while both parents are alive, healthy, and wintering in Florida. I acknowledge and give thanks for the blessing of these facts. 

What gets saved? Why and where does it go? Almost anything in the garage can be marked Out. Occasionally, a treasure is discovered. It had originally been found in my maternal grandparents home. It was an elegant, huge and once-upon-a time must have been very expensive. It was a Bible with brass hinges to close it. No births or deaths or names were recorded inside. Once it had an accompanied book about the Blessed Mother but time had done harm to this volume. The print and graphics were beautiful - a colored bible - a piece of art.

For 30 years it sat atop a bar made by the previous owners. When ever anyone went down into the basement, one couldn't help but glance at that Bible as you made your way back upstairs. It was that big and ornate. It sat in the same place for decades.

Now it was time for a new home. I knew in an instant to which brother and his family it was to be entrusted. Treasures have significance and this was always someone's treasure. I alerted my brother to its whereabouts.

Yesterday I logged into Facebook and noted a posting by a niece. Apparently, the Bible dates back to 1870. Research had already been completed. The Bible was 140 years old! This book has been passed to it's 5th Irish-American generation. The original purchaser must have been prosperous indeed. Obviously it has found its proper home where it will be revered and treasured as it was always meant to be.

Love Always Wins!