A Lifetime Ago -- A Gift from the Past

Recently, I bought a big stack of old magazines for a couple of dollars in an antique mall.
They were all Victoria magazines from the last twenty years or so.

I have become quite a fan of Pinterest but I must say I LOVE magazines.
I love to hold them in my hands and take my time studying every detail of each picture.

While I was paying for these old issues,
the cashier told me the man who was selling them had recently lost his wife
and that he hoped they would go to someone who would enjoy them as she had.

I almost started crying right there in the mall.
It was so touching, I vowed to take care of them for her.

Now, as I wade through the stack, rationing them out slowly each day so they'll last longer,
I'll occasionally spot a ragged edge where a page has been torn out.
I smile, remembering the woman who had owned these magazines, and wonder who she was.

Sometimes, depending on the missing page, I can imagine what she might have been like.

If it's a tea-time article, I picture her at an antique table pouring tea for her friends,
using her grandmother's china and serving dainty finger sandwiches and fancy pastries.

If it's a story about decorating a cozy room,
 I can see her curled up in a comfy chair, reading a good book with a cup of tea.

Maybe it's a travelogue piece about Paris. Then I'm sure we would have been kindred spirits,
both yearning for a magical experience in a beautiful European city. 

Perhaps a garden photo has been carefully removed from the magazine and I know
she must have been an enthusiastic gardener, clipping ideas for next year's perennial bed. 

Sometimes, when I go to an estate sale, I feel sad when I see those things
that were meaningful to the previous owner.  I wonder about her but quickly move on
as I know I'll take care of those special things that I purchase as if they were my own.

So I pack up her ironstone or her vintage silverware and maybe a stack of decorating magazines
and I send her a thank you on the wind with a warm hug. 

"Don't you worry my friend," I whisper. "Your prized possessions are safe with me.
I'll take care of them for you."

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