Ours was a quiet Thanksgiving this year.  Families were spread out in other states.  As a result, we had a little extra time on our hands but our many shelves of books are always there to keep us company.  Over the long weekend, we found that we have not one, not two, but three family Bibles.  It’s fun to read the old notations and muse on the many bookshelves those Bibles have graced.

Hence, a replay of a little Bible story, written a few years ago.

Holly Bibble

September 30, 2014/

A friend’s granddaughter was helping her mother unpack books in their new home. Her father was at sea.

Suddenly, the little girl squealed with delight. Look Mommy, she said. It’s the holly bibble.

Now I don’t know if, after a couple of quiet chuckles, her mother corrected her or not. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the pleasure the child got when she saw the book.

She knew it contained stories….ones she liked….maybe like Blueberries for Sal or even better. She probably knew many of the names in the book, could recite some of it by heart, knew it was important to her in a special way. And she gave it her own name.

Now, don’t try to find the holly bibble through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It only exists in the child’s heart at the moment. We hope it stays there with her unique stamp on it and that no one ever tries to take that away.