Cleaning Out My Bookshelves

Yesterday, I began clearing out my bookshelves.

Cleaning out a small bookcase containing the remains of children's books, I discovered old favorites from my sons' early years:  The Giving Tree, The Big O, The Big O Meets the Missing Peace, Good Night Moon, The Runaway Bunny, Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches an Egg, In The Night Kitchen, The Real Story of The Three Little Pigs . . . 

Multiple copies of others: The Little Prince, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Five Minutes Peace, Are You My Mother, The Polar Express, A Wrinkle in Time . . . 

The loss of others, given away, rejected, neglected.  Destroyed by crayons & spills & lack of interest & time. 

Then I find a copy of The World of Pooh.   Only one & I cannot believe that no other Pooh stories remain on my shelves.

Of course, by the time my sons arrived on the scene, the entire world of Pooh was captured on film. 

I open The World of Pooh.   Copyright 1957. It is the complete Winnie-the-Pooh (copyright 1926, renewed 1954) & The House at Pooh Corner (copyright 1928, renewed 1954)

As I turn to the title page, I find a bookplate that reads From The Library of Robert Pulley.   "Robert Pulley" is written in a clear cursive.   At the bottom right of the title page is an embossed reminder of the owner of this particular volume, his initials RMP surrounded by Library of Robert M. Pulley. 

In case the bookplate dissolved, the embossed reminder of the owner would remain. 

For a moment, I weep.  Remembering Bob. 

Then I realize that although the nameplate & his corporal life dissolved, he is embossed, imprinted upon the souls & memories of all who knew & loved him. 

So I move The World of Pooh to another room, to a glass-enclosed bookcase. 

From the same bookcase, I retrieve an egg shaped treasure, half sheathed in something orange & crocheted to look like a hen, the exposed surface a picture of what might be Peter Rabbit. 

Not believing that I had not retrieved it sooner, as I do every year.   I position it on some limbs in the front of the Christmas tree. 

Knowing that someone, drawn by the tree, will see it & ask, as others have asked in the past: Why is there an Easter Egg on the Christmas Tree? 

And I will answer: Because it is an important gift. Jean Pulley & her son Bob found it important enough to entrust it to me for safe keeping. 

As they did other books & treasures & a set of cookie cutters. 

And their embossed imprint upon my soul & memory.