NOSTALGIA EPISODE ONE

 AS I HAVE SAID, NOSTALGIA IS MY WORD FOR 2025.

COME ALONG WITH ME ON THIS MAGICAL RIDE

OF THINGS THAT WILL BRING YOU BACK TO ANOTHER

TIME IN YOUR LIFE.

TODAY'S INSPIRATIONS STARTED WITH A READ ON "REDDIT"

SPEAKING OF A SERIES OF BIBLE BOOKS  FROM THE 60'S.

YEST, THESE BLUE BOOKS FOUND IN MOST 

DOCTOR AND DENTIST OFFICES IF YOU ARE A 

CHILD OF THE 60'S/70'S.

I SPENT A LOT OF MY CHILDHOOD IN HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS OFFICES

HAVING HAD CHILDHOOD CANCER.

THE FIRST BOOK OF THIS SERIES WAS IN SO MANY OF THEM

I REMEMBER GETTING REALLY HAPPY WHEN I SAW 

EITHER THIS OR A HIGHLIGHTS MAGAZINE AWAITING ME.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A PATIENT WAITER PROBABLY

BECAUSE I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WAITING TO SEE A DOCTOR

BACK IN MY DAY AND I LOVED TO READ.

HAVING THESE BOOKS HAD ME ENTRANCED FROM THE

STORIES BUT MOSTLY BECAUSE OF THE BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATIONS.

THIS MORNING I DID A  LITTLE RESEARCH ON THESE BOOKS...

WHY WERE THEY ALWAYS IN A DOCTORS OFFICE...

THIS BOOK WAS ONE OF A TEN PART SERIES

OF HARD COVER BOOKS WRITTEN BY ARTHUR MAXWELL.

THE BIBLE STORY WAS A KING JAMES VERSION OF

THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE.

THEY WERE PUBLISHED FROM 1953 AND 1957.

HE SPENT OVER 7 YEARS WRITING THESE BOOKS.

INTERESTING RIGHT?

BUT WHY WERE THEY IN ALL THE MEDICAL OFFICES IN MY DAY?

BACK THEN I THOUGHT IT WAS MAYBE TO PREPARE THOSE

WHO MAY NOT MAKE IT OUT OF THEIR ILLNESS.

I KNOW, A TAD MORBID BUT THIS MORNING WHEN I 

REMEMBERED THESE BOOKS I ALSO REMEMBERED THAT FEELING

OF HOW BEAUTIFUL HEAVEN WAS AND DYING BECAME 

JUST A LITTLE LESS SCARY.

HOWEVER MR. MAXWELL WAS A SMART MAN.

BACK BEFORE INTERNET AND AMAZON, 

SHOOT EVEN BEFORE BOOK STORES WERE POPULAR

IT WAS HARD TO SELL THINGS.

MR. MAXWELL DECIDED THAT HE WOULD SEND A FREE COPY

TO ANY DOCTOR OF DENTIST OFFICES THAT WOULD ALLOW.

IN THE FRONT AND BACK OF EVERY BOOK WAS 

THE MAIL IN CARD TO TAKE HOME SO YOUR PARENTS

COULD BUY YOU ONE OF THESE BEAUTIFUL BOOKS FOR YOUR 

OWN COFFEE TABLE.

I REMEMBER THE POSTCARDS BECAUSE I REMEMBER TEARING

MORE THAN A FEW TO BRING HOME IN HOPES

THAT MAYBE I, TOO COULD HAVE THE BEAUTIFUL 

ILLUSTRATIONS THAT LOOKED SO MUCH HOW I PICTURED

HEAVEN TO BE.

I GREW UP CATHOLIC AND ALTHOUGH WE HAD A BIBLE IN THE HOME,

WE NEVER READ OUT OF IT.

WE LEARNED OUR BIBLE THROUGH MASS AND BELIEVED

IT WAS TAKEN RIGHT OUT OF THE BIBLE.

FOR ME, THESE STORIES BECAME THE CHILD VERSION OF

WHAT THE BIG BOOK SAID.

NOT ONLY WAS MAXWELL A WONDERFUL AUTHOR 

BUT I PROBABLY LEARNED MANY OF MY BIBLE STORIES 

FROM SITTING IN SO MANY DOCTORS OFFICES.

I NEVER DID GET MY PARENTS TO AGREE TO FILL OUT THE POSTCARD

BUT THIS AM, THE MEMORY OF

THESE BEAUTIFUL BOOKS HAS BROUGHT ME BACK TO 

A BURIED MEMORY.

WELL DONE, MR. MAXWELL, WELL DONE!