B-I-B-L-E

I received several Bibles over the past few months. None one of them new, in fact they are pretty old and written in and nearly falling apart. They are some of the neatest things I have received in a long time. The first one was from my grandmother's house. One of the places that I loved to be because it helped define my family background and the loving way we interact with each other. Every Sunday we were there, playing, hearing the grownups laugh, sometime sleeping over to extend our visit if school was not in session the next day. So many stories that I share with my brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles who were a consistent, regular part of my growing up. The Bible contains a few scraps of paper from weddings, funerals, pictures, etc. It hold some of the tradition of Grandma Lee's family, although most of the traditions were lived out regularly among the lot of us. The last few holidays she shared with us included anywhere from 50-75 guests including several great-great-grandchildren. The Bible is a reminder of the legacy of love and joyful living that flows through my family to this day.
Another Bible is one of the many Bibles owned by my aunt Elsie who also passed away this past year. Aunt Elsie was my dad's sister whom I didn't really know a lot about growing up, except that she had been overseas as a missionary. The past 15 years or so I got to know her and a lot more about her amazing life of service to God in Bangledesh and in the US. Her Bible is written in from front to back. It has been studied tirelessly. There are also a few scraps of paper in this Bible, but some have been left there in the midst of its use and do not necessarily relate to our family at all, but to whomever she was talking to with her Bible open. It is marked with the "Roman Road" plan of salvation so that she could lead others to an understanding of God's eternal love and had things jotted in the margins and in the front and back cover. I look forward to reading it and discovering her thoughts on many subjects. I also received one of her Bibles written in the language of the people of Bangledesh. Although I will never be able to read it, it was no doubt ready for her to give away to someone during her missionary years. This Bible is a testimony to the focus of God that was always evident in the lives of my father and his family and one that I am striving to continue today.
I have two girls and therefore will most likely not have a son to carry on the "family name," but I have realized that more importantly, I would like to pass along the "family tradition and the family faith" that was entrusted to me by the owners of these Bibles. My wife got me a Bible for a wedding present 17 years ago. I hope when someone looks at it long after I am gone, there will be to them a reminder that I kept the tradition and faith alive and passed it on as a legacy to the generations to come.