Generations

This is our family Bible.


And it has been in our family for four generations, beginning with my great-grandmother, and it has been passed down through the daughters. I've had it for about 10 years, and one day a few years back I opened it for the first time ever. It's kind of fragile--the front cover is no longer actually attached--so it's always been a "look but don't touch" relic. But I'm a grown-up, and so I figured nobody was going to ground me for opening it. Inside, I found a family history. My great-grandmother started it:

"This Bible was given to Lura, daughter of Abigail, daughter of Philura. At the death of Philura, who is Lura's grandmother, this book will belong to Emily, Lura's daughter."

And then, in my grandmother's writing:

"Emily's daughter Carolyn will receive it at Emily's death."

We actually received it years before Emily died, and it was on the same plant-stand it sits on now in the house in which I grew up for as long as I can remember.

On subsequent pages, my great-grandmother (the aforementioned Lura) wrote down the dates of births, deaths, and marriages of her family, and again, the daughters wrote their own updates and additions. And when I married Rob, I added us to the long list. Today, on the page for births, I wrote in Ava's name and birth date. Someday, this big beautiful book will be hers. She is its fifth generation.

There are probably half a dozen pressed flowers in this Bible. I don't know most of their origins; whomever placed them inside didn't leave a note. I imagine many of the flowers are from weddings or christenings. One is from my mom's funeral; another is from my own wedding. These are all part of our story, and someday Ava will add her own.