Something Special

As we have been slowly but surely unpacking the new house, each member of my fam has undoubtedly found some piece of history or memory he or she had forgotten about in the madness of day-to-day life. For example, I found all my old high school yearbooks and pored over how varied the entries were. Some, by people who are still my closest friends, made me so thankful for those experiences. And some reminded me of how polite people can be when they don't know what to say! Ha.

Likewise, my mom has been finding trinkets and treasures from the earlier years of her life, and I've been lucky enough to reap the benefit of these re-discoveries. One such item is a present her good friend Laura made her for a birthday sometime in mom's 40's; Laura and my mother met while working at a book publishing house (literally putting books together on the printing side) and because of that, this gift is even more meaningful. Laura made her a handmade, handprinted, hand inscribed book of quotations and advice for life, some by well-known speakers and some that are simply good life lessons.

I took the liberty of picking out a few favorites that I saw (from the hundred or so pages in the book) for your enjoyment here...

Even the cover is witty.

"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him float."

"Laziness is just the habit of resting before you get tired." - Jules Renard

"That's not writing - that's typing." - Truman Capote on Jack Kerouac

"If it were for the last minute, nothing would get done."

"At least when you fall on your face it's forward progress." - West Buchanan

I just love seeing handmade keepsakes like this, because it reminds me of how thoughtful and generous and kind the human spirit can be. I am so glad my mom has the amazing friends she does and I am so thankful that I get the chance to see a little bit more into her world through mementos like this!