Part two - a Bible
The small pile sitting to the side of my backpack is a sign of the most daunting yet thrilling task to come. That task is going.
There are actually two Bibles in the pile. One, a New Living Translation study Bible. The other, a small brown leather Holman Christian Standard Bible.
The first Bible was a gift from my parents on my 16th birthday. Its pages are worn and full of highlights, and a good half of the tabs have broken off thanks to a fall in the gymnasium at my university. This Bible has a bit of a sad story, as it was lost for a year.
When this Bible went missing it was searched for high and low by multiple people. Countless cars, homes, bookshelves and lost and found bins were scoured in hopes of its return. All to no avail. This disheartened Bible toter turned to the small leather version in hopes of it serving as an adequate placeholder until the study Bible was rediscovered.
Over the course of a year the leather Bible became worn. Its leather cover softened and worn spots began to show. The pages slowly gained markings, notes, bookmarks and highlights. It even traveled. Tossed in along with other various travel necessities it rode in backpacks and bags all the way to China, took a road trip to the Vietnamese border, flew to Orlando, Florida, and found itself in the historically cattle driving, Bible-belt South of Texas, better known as Fort Worth.
After all of the adventures and quiet times of a year had passed, this once disheartened Bible toter sat in the newsroom office busily editing articles. On a fluke, a New Living Translation Bible was noticed sitting on the bookcase on the opposite side of the room.
Upon closer inspection the dedication page read, "To our daughter, on her 16th birthday. Love, Mom and Dad".
Tears welled as I realized my longed for possession was not only no longer lost, but had been right in front of me the whole time.
So now two Bibles sit in the little pile next to my backpack. Each have provided scriptures that have molded and shaped me over the years, and each one has its own share of stories. One of the tasks on the list that rests atop the pile reads "transfer notes in Bible". For some reason, the task of matching the markings, notes and highlights in my two Bibles has been being continuously postponed. It cannot be left undone indefinitely as one of these Bibles will soon be being packed in that dull dusty blue backpack.
It is the last task that needs to be completed before my departure. Perhaps this is my minds way of reminding me how daunting this global excursion feels at times.
Curiously,
When this Bible went missing it was searched for high and low by multiple people. Countless cars, homes, bookshelves and lost and found bins were scoured in hopes of its return. All to no avail. This disheartened Bible toter turned to the small leather version in hopes of it serving as an adequate placeholder until the study Bible was rediscovered.
Over the course of a year the leather Bible became worn. Its leather cover softened and worn spots began to show. The pages slowly gained markings, notes, bookmarks and highlights. It even traveled. Tossed in along with other various travel necessities it rode in backpacks and bags all the way to China, took a road trip to the Vietnamese border, flew to Orlando, Florida, and found itself in the historically cattle driving, Bible-belt South of Texas, better known as Fort Worth.
After all of the adventures and quiet times of a year had passed, this once disheartened Bible toter sat in the newsroom office busily editing articles. On a fluke, a New Living Translation Bible was noticed sitting on the bookcase on the opposite side of the room.
Upon closer inspection the dedication page read, "To our daughter, on her 16th birthday. Love, Mom and Dad".
Tears welled as I realized my longed for possession was not only no longer lost, but had been right in front of me the whole time.
So now two Bibles sit in the little pile next to my backpack. Each have provided scriptures that have molded and shaped me over the years, and each one has its own share of stories. One of the tasks on the list that rests atop the pile reads "transfer notes in Bible". For some reason, the task of matching the markings, notes and highlights in my two Bibles has been being continuously postponed. It cannot be left undone indefinitely as one of these Bibles will soon be being packed in that dull dusty blue backpack.
It is the last task that needs to be completed before my departure. Perhaps this is my minds way of reminding me how daunting this global excursion feels at times.
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