Memories

When I was a little girl I loved going through my Grandma's bookshelf. Of course they were all too advanced for me but I liked to look at them. One that was interesting was Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman. The words were small and there were no pictures but the reason I liked it was the cover. The picture was of a desert scene with sand dunes and palm trees and a camel. I have always enjoyed the memory of that book even though I had not read it.

This is a picture of my Grandma in 1973. She taught me to crochet when she was here that Christmas. I had been looking for a "Streams", the older version not the new updated one, just because it is part of my past with my Grandma. I never could find one. This weekend my church had a booksale with the money going to a mission trip in the summer. I went not thinking I would find anything in particular. Then there is was, an old version of "Streams." I picked it up and looked at it. It did not have the paper cover but it was the same green book. The original price penciled in the book was $1.50. The published date was 1940. I could not believe what I held in my hands.

I am sure that someone was cleaning out their bookshelves and had no idea the joy someone else would have in finding this book. Today many books are updated, given more modern versions for "easy reading/understanding". There is something to be said for the older versions not just for the beauty of poetic writing but also for the memories they bring.