"The Book" A Life Lesson - Written by: Ron Brown

“The Book” Written by: Ron Brown Photo by: Keith Davenport
There once was a book sitting on a shelf. A little girl moved across the room to the shelf that was just out of her reach and stood on her tippy toes so she could reach high enough to hold the bottom of the spine of the book upon the shelf. Just then her grandfather ran up behind her and said. Stop, and grabbed her hand and moved her over to the couch. He said, “Honey, you can’t touch that book it is dangerous and hurt a lot of people.” The little girl said, “I wouldn’t touch it Grandpa, ever.” As the years went by the little girl would walk through the living room and pass by the book with worry that it could harm her. She didn’t even want to go near the book that Grandpa had told her hurt a lot of people. She learned to read and read many books but didn’t even want to go near the shelf to find out the title of this dangerous book that had hurt many.

She continued to grow and always stayed far away from the book that was on that shelf in Grandpa’s house. She graduated from elementary school, middle school and finally high school. But no matter how many times she went to see Grandpa at his house she never asked or wanted to be near the book on that shelf. She often pondered to herself, “Why would my Grandpa keep that book in his house if it was so dangerous that it could hurt many people?” But she never would ask him. Sadly Grandpa passed away and as she came back to her Grandpa’s home after the burial her Grandma hugged her tightly and said, “Your Grandpa wanted you to have something that he told me was just for you.” As Grandma walked toward the bookshelf, her hand motioned toward the very same book that had tormented her imagination and terrified her mind all through her life. She shouted to her Grandma, “No, I don’t want that book. Why would Grandpa want me to have something that hurt so many people? I don’t want it Grandma, please.”

Smiling, Grandma pulled down the book from the shelf, dusted it off and said, “My dear granddaughter, he didn’t say it hurt many people, he just didn’t want you pulling the big book down onto yourself and hurt you.” She continued to say, “This is a book that your Grandpa gave me of poetry when we first started dating that he had published right after you were born.” She opened the cover and it said in the dedication, “This book of poetry is dedicated to my truly beautiful granddaughter Julia. Long were the hours of joy I experienced in writing these to my darling Michele who was my girlfriend then, now my amazing wife. They stayed in a shoebox that my wife kept all these years. But it was the magic of seeing my dear granddaughter Julia in the hospital when she was born that touched my very soul. I knew in that moment of connection when her eyes met mine that I was to publish these expressions of love. They are what led to our marriage, our child Brian and now his daughter so precious, Julia. So I dedicate this book of love to her.”

Michele with tears in her eyes looked into her grandma’s face and said, “All these years I feared being hurt by this book and he was just worried about the book hitting me on the head.” Her grandmother, smiled and said, “I’m afraid so dear or should I say you were afraid.” She hugging her as they looked at each page of these amazing poems that grew from page to page of the great love he had for his wife. Michele learned the most valuable lesson that day. Never let our fears keep us from experiencing life and the hidden treasures that are just beyond our reach. She kissed her grandma and held tightly to this book that was such a blessing to her. The rest of the days of her life she always read at least one of the poems to herself to remind her of the great love that she came from.

So what are your books in your life that you have kept away from?

Are there wonders yet to be explored? Dare to find the books in your life and don't wait till it is too late to enjoy them with the ones you love.