Good Friday Finds

20140419-172210.jpgAsked for paper and a pen at my dad’s house on Good Friday to do simple exercise from a course I am taking. He steps into his home office and comes out with a black hard cover bound writing book.

As he hands me this bound book it’s vintage is immediately apparent. The pages have begun to yellow and the binging at the seam is starting tear at the edges.

Something about this book feels inherently intellectual. It feels as if great thought has went it. And I know instantly it is perfect for my task.

20140419-172235.jpgOpening the cover I notice the pages are jaggedly cut out from the front of the book but there are still many pages in tact. The sheets are lined. This book was made to be written on.

And this is the moment I realize how special this book is.

Written on the inside cover near the left side is a signature “R. Lovejoy” followed by a date “Oct/72”.

20140419-172757.jpg
Before I was born, this book belonged to one of my great uncles, either Ronald Lovejoy or Raymond Lovejoy. Both very special men who were very unique and both loved very much by my grandmother Betty.

My Great Uncle Ray Lovejoy worked as a machinist. He was always puttering around designing and building something. Ray had a big smile and a very warm heart, something he passed into his children and grandchildren.

I imagine if the book were Ray’s he would’ve used it to write out calculations or draw up designs.

My Great Uncle Ron Lovejoy was also a special soul with a big smile and a twinkle in his eye. He was a minister in a Liberal Catholic Church in Hamilton. He didn’t let his position stop him from building and creating. He had a special soul and was known to welcome everyone into his life with warmth and compassion. There was something peaceful about being near Ron and amazingly I feel the same when in the presence of his son and daughter.

As we spent a lot of time with Ron and His wife Thelma at their cottage in Long Point, I can almost see him drawing up plans for something he was building, or even a song to play with his mouth organ around the bonfire.

My father offered to let me keep the book and it lead me to wonder how it came into his possession. He can’t recall how he received, whether given directly or if it came from my grandmothers belongings.

Either way, I feel that this book was made to plan and organize my thoughts. It’s a perfect tool and I feel tremendously blessed to have it.

One thought on “Good Friday Finds

  1. Thanks for the story Corina and sharing it with us . My pleasure to read your short stories .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *