An old friend...

My mother was cleaning out her closet this weekend, and somehow came across an old Bible of mine. Not just any old bible, either...it was my The Student Bible--my old, trusty, NIV. I couldn't believe it! Hadn't seen it in ages--and neither of us were sure how it ended up in her room. I was half-asleep, starting to deal with that cold that I mentioned yesterday--but when I saw that vinyl cover (pen still in the pocket!) I bolted upright to grab it. Started flipping through it, for no real apparent reason. Finding old notes (some good, some...eh, none horrible), there on the inscription page was the date of my baptism, when my parents gave it to me--incidentally, that's the same date they attended church with any regularity, but that's a tale for another time.

I'd had an "adult" translation before--when I was in 6th grade or so, had been given a RSV, but since I started attending summer camps a couple years before, I'd wanted The Student Bible. It was what all the "sold-out" kids had, and I so wanted to be one of them (still do, in a way). I carted that Bible around for a few years longer than I should've--but this was before I had a copy of every major translation, multiple editions of some--one for the car/pocket, one for study, one for this, one for that. This was "my Bible" period. I didn't even have to remember refernces for some verses--just knew it was on this part of such and such page, about so far in. (now I don't remember references for anything because I generally have a search function w/in reach). I've really never "bonded" with a particular Bible like I have with that one. It was with me through a lot of thin, and some thick. Felt good to hold it again.

Not sure how long I sat and flipped through my old friend, but I can tell you that my oldest two boys didn't quite understand my excitement. Lord willing, one day... Frodo did find the date of my baptism to be oddly incongruous with my date of birth :)

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not dumping my no-study notes to be found anywhere ESV for this. It may be handy to have a hard copy NIV around. Regardless, it's good to have the memories around.