BIBLES, BIBLES EVERYWHERE!

I have one really great fear when it comes to my dying. Now don't get morbid - it's just the way it is. I have been a part of settling many estates with my dear CPA husband - and as part of it, we have had to go to the homes of the deceased and sort out, catalog, pack and mail, and generally dispose of this dear person's 'treasures'. In the process we have found that there are some things that people really hoard. Now, I'm sure they didn't think of it that way - but the abundance of certain 'treasures' give one a good insight into what was important to them.

In one case, we found at least fifteen boxes of tea bags. I ask myself as I'm putting them in a pile, "Why tea bags? Why fifteen boxes?" And after thinking it through - I realize that this was a woman who went through the big depression in the '30s. There were such shortages then that one tended to grab up any 'deals' that one could find. Local sales were a goldmine!

Even one of our family members had a thing about bedsheets! One whole closet was filled with unused, still packed in celophane, bedsheets. We joked about it - because she had a Sterns Department Store near where she worked, and everytime they had a sale - she stocked up on bedsheets. She also stocked up on material. This was amazing to me because I could never figure out how she knew how much material to buy. Did she have a project in mind when she bought it - or was there some magic number that you assigned to dresses, skirts, spreads, curtains, etc? I never found out.

Well here it comes - my indulgences! I love Bibles. I think I have more Bibles than I have sense. This started when we owned a Christian Bookstore. My excuse at the time was that as the Manager of the Bookstore - I had to know the pros and cons of every Bible I sold. So of course, I needed to OWN one. Then I could use it for several months - get used to it - mark it - and decide what was missing that I needed, and what was superflouous.

But, truth told - I stopped being a Christian Bookstore manager about twenty years ago. And ... the habit remains. But that's not the worst part. I am hypnotized by the look of a brand new Bible; the smell ( especially if it has leather or make-believe leather ) and the open invitation to 'come and see my pages....feel the delight of the way I slither in yours hands...check out these amazing maps and if a Study Bible - become acquainted with my fantastic notes that open doors to understanding that I would have to spend years to discover.'

Oh yes - it's even worse than this. I even have multiple copies of the same Bible. Why? Well, I think it goes back to my marking system in my Bibles. I am always trying to improve it. My dear friend and wife of my pastor always referred to my Bible as the "Rainbow Edition" before there ever was one. I love to categorize with colored pencils. I underline - or I shade - or when I run out of ways to use the pencils - I resort to code initials. Eventually, my Bible looks like it needs a new start.

Since I have done a bit of mentoring in my lifetime as a Christian, many of these bibles have been passed on to others to help them to get started. If they only went through all of my notes and underlinings and shadings - they will have read a good portion of the Bible in their first sitting.

I have been so troubled by this fear that I have packed up numerous copies at times and passed them on to youth pastors who have new Christians that want to get into studying and can't afford the cost of a new Bible. I've gotten some funny calls from some who want to know why I marked something with a wrong color. Silly goose - it's because I made a mistake and didn't want my Bible to look sleazy. Or what I tell them, "I wondered if you'd find that! Good Boy! You are really catching on."

So dear ones, whoever ends up sorting out my 'treasures' please understand that I didn't deliberately buy these Bibles just so that you'd have to pile them up and sort them out and say, "Boy, Gramma was really a hoarder regardless of how much she taught contentment with little". So I'm a sinner. My joy comes in knowing that Jesus loves sinners - even the chubby hoarders.

Now lets not talk about British mystery DVD's. Oh-Oh!