The boxes are slowly getting less by the day, but one big stack still remains. All my books! I'm sure I've mentioned before that I have a passion for old books. Not just any books. The classics in hard cover only. My oldest is an 1892 picture book for boys about wildlife and I am the proud owner of a 1900 copy of Jane Eyre. Don't get me started on my books because the list of what I have and what I dream of having is a blog worth thousands of words.
The bottom line is that I didn't have space for them in my old house and now this house is smaller. On my vision board is a picture of a library with books from floor to ceiling and that step ladder that rolls around the room to reach the highest and furthest corners. That's for my beautiful house by the sea one day, but what about now?
Seriously, there are about 20 boxes of books! I've tried to convince my mom to put them in odd places, like the kitchen but she didn't fall for it. I pictured myself building glass cabinets in the bathroom just so I could have more shelf space. I was thinking of getting old crates and packing books in them and then turning them into beside tables (I still like that idea actually). The only thing I know is that I can't shove them in the garage for years on end.
I've always been lucky with my folks and their acceptance of every passion I have had, no matter how controversial or space consuming. My mom sees how much I love these books and she's just as?adamant not to see them go into storage. And I kid you not ... this has been on my mind a lot ... where are my precious books going to go?
Talking about my folks, today would have been their 45th wedding anniversary and although I am less attached to dates for my own personal reasons, I can see the pull at my mom's heart today. ?We are having such a special time living together and have a beautiful friendship, but it's days like today where I'm just so proud of me for being the daughter I turned out to be. We really are each other's support and best friend and I always used to think it was unhealthy to have a bond with a mother like I do. I also took ages to deal with the family dynamic of a bond that I know I have personally worked very hard at.
I had the same undeniable bond with my dad too. I remember arriving at the house with the oddest of things ... either an old book or something witchy for my alter and he was attentive to it all. He would pat me on the back when a boy broke my heart and I could see him wondering why the hell I was telling him, but I just kept telling him everything. His jaw would clench as I shared my next risky business idea with him, but he would support me anyway.
One day I will write their story. I might be very old by that time, but it's a love story worth telling. I don't need it to become the next Gone with the wind (which I still haven't found in hard cover, I might add) but it will be book that will sit on someone's shelf, with a story that reminds us that unconditional love, love at first sight and eternal love are all possible ... all in one couple and all in one lifetime!
The end!
