Dear Reader:

True confession…you know the old brain is only functioning on a few neurons…when you forget to add the last section of your blog post. Remember how yesterday the importance of libraries on a child’s life was discussed, along with book markers and other vintage book apparel from the past?

Chris Frazier  sent me that adorable whimsical title drawing (thank you) and we explored the secret worlds of children who escape harsh reality conditions for imaginary places of acceptance through reading.

We also discussed the importance of vintage book markers and book plates and we wondered if children would welcome them today as a sign of ownership of a book…or simply as a gift from someone special.

I had planned to end the post yesterday with the phrase Ex Libris.…it stands out in my memory for two reasons.

As a small child I remember Grandmother Wilson opening a book she received one Christmas and crying out in delight over the book…but even more over the Ex Libris book plate with her name engraved in it. Grandmother had once been a teacher and had taught Latin. She adored books…no one could have given her anything better…I remember she kept running her fingers over the engraved letters of her name. This gift made her Christmas so special.

This phrase Ex Libris.…also saved me from the penetrating glare of Mrs. Harlowe…my Latin teacher. I had taken Latin in the 8th grade in Fayetteville but quite honestly I didn’t know squat about it. Mrs. Harlowe wanted me to re-take the course and start over with the regular ninth graders (after we moved to Laurens that summer)…but  mother insisted I move on to Latin II with the tenth graders. Mother won and I lost…big time.

I was completely clueless most of the year …but I did have one shining moment…and that was when we had to bring in a Latin word or expression that was still used today or at least its derivative was.

I ran to grandmother’s house and asked to borrow her book with the the vintage Ex Libris  engraved book plate. Grandmother hesitated so long I was scared she was going to tell me “no.” And I did feel the weight of the world on me as I carried her book wrapped in delicate tissue to school with me…I knew if something happened to that book I had better jump on the next train and keep going.

I recall my hands were shaking as I unwrapped the tissue and handed it to Mrs. Harlowe. Immediately the book caught her interest and she grabbed it out of my hands…she turned to the front and saw my grandmother’s name engraved in the front. I could tell she was admiring the handiwork…and it finally dawned on her what my connection to my grandmother Mary Ellen Wilson was…Grandmother was a quite respected Laurens resident.

From that day on…my life improved in her class… I think I even got a C at the end of the term….more for being my grandmother’s granddaughter than anything else…but hey, you take what life gives you…gratefully!

Ex Libris