Dear To My Heart - Jour des Meres

"... They always looked back

before turning the corner,

for their Mother was always at the window

to nod & smile,

& wave her hand to them.

Somehow it seemed

as if they couldn’t have got thru the day

without that,

for whatever their mood might be,

that one last glimpse of their Mother’s smiling face

was sure to affect them like sunshine..."

~~~~

From,

Little Women

by

Louisa May Alcott

The love of books, poetry & reading is another beautiful gift that my Mother passed on to me.

Because of her, I have always loved to read & admired great minds that have a way with the written word. I collect antique books with gilt-tipped pages & elaborate cover art & any & all vintage books that call to me.

She collected books & works by famous authors & had a vast library that she took great pride in & amazingly enough, she always took the time to underline in her beloved books, all the passages, thoughts & paragraphs that spoke to her.

This enduring library that she left behind is all the more dear to us now because we can go back & read what was meaningful to her, what inspired her & what she wanted to remember. Delving inside these books & reading the beautiful words, messages & lessons, that she took the time to highlight, is such a heartfelt gift that she left for us & provides a profound connection to her soul.

We pore over & savor, page after awe-inspiring page of the greatest thinkers & writers because she is there, lovingly woven in & out of every one of their lines.

What touched her, now touches us;

What she loved, we treasure.

Ralph Waldo Emerson expressed it perfectly when he wrote:

“High Thanks I Owe Her,

For Enlarging The Meaning

Of All My Thoughts.”

~~~~

Her legacy lives on & on…

&

Every day -

She inspires me even more.