Glory 08 - Boynton and Bibles

Reading today’s devotion, Curtice talked about a book she read to her children by Sandra Boynton. As soon as I saw that name, memories stirred of so many different Boynton books that we read to our children. The ones that immediately came to me were Moo Baa La La La and Hippos Go Bezerk. I don’t know how many times I read those books to our children and they never ceased to find such joy in them. We have also been known to go back to those periodically as we go through books on the shelves. But our copies are well loved - they are fraying on the edges, the spine is worn, and so much love has been shared through those stories. I have copies of novels (notably A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Stand) that I have read so many times and the condition of the books shows this.

Reminds me of what Bibles often look like for people who spend LOTS of time in those timeless, life changing stories. One NIV version I have is water stained, underlined, highlighted, bent and worn cover corners, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, I cannot take a picture of it right now because its packed in a box when I packed up my office. I also have several old family Bibles that beautifully show the many hands through which they have passed.  One of those is pictured here - printed originally in 1883.

As much as I love ebooks (and I do love them for the convenience, storage space, less cost, and so forth), there is something wonderful about a physically book that has been read time and time again and tells stories even in the appearance and condition and not just the words. It shows the life that has gone into it.

Curtice had a beautiful line toward the end of today’s devotion. She said, “A world of reading brings a bounty far beyond us, and we find it creates a legacy to stretch far past us into every next generation.”