Home, Treasures and Society

By Wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

Today being Sunday, a Holy Day, I thought to share some thoughts on the Greatest Story ever told amongst others.
Reading and reviewing books have enabled me to peruse some incredible stories, wonderful anecdotes and judging from the numbers of tomes on our library shelves, read many authors!

It is rare the book I do not enjoy albeit I will be honest and say there has been a few duds.
Some of these I trudged through up to the last page and decided it was not such a bad story after all. Rarely have I not given a chance to the author to convince me there was something of substance betwixt the pages of their latest novel or biography. Yet again I stir away from fanatics, autobiographies and politics. The first I cannot abide, the other two I will abstain reading. They simply do not interest me.

Long, long ago, I was told a good story, be it a book or mere article should line up in the following order: Who, What, Where, When, How, Why...
I will be the first to say it is not always so or even possible. Ordinary daily news often proves this but still, it is not a bad format. In fact, I like to use it to recall a good story, particularly if I am sharing it.This way, I can visualize what developed and allow myself an opinion.

I refuse to trash so to speak any written word. If colourful to the point of offending me or possibly anyone else, I will simply not read it. I have on occasion closed a book for that reason and to my family's surprise, even from a favourite author.
It seems these days every thought, be it sanctioned or not, is printed with the sole intention of making money of course and often entertain in some perverse way the masses.
We commiserate on what kind of society we live into yet we are not always willing to take a stand and refuse to conform.
Simply we often lean into fitting in society rather than letting ourselves be individuals, with moral standards, honour and integrity.

Busy times, hectic schedules and economic demands are perhaps at fault in many cases but we can still take a stand, and demand individuality with a conscience.

One of my favourite stories, North and South, first published in 1855 and written by Elisabeth Gaskell shows clearly that no matter which part of society you belong to, you can make a difference if you take a stand in what you believe in. Be that we would all be willing to take a chance!
Elisabeth Gaskell, British Author

I must at this point also admit having read only parts of the Bible, such was my upbringing. It was "just not done" as they would have said in the times of Mrs. Gaskell for a young lady to read what was deemed too difficult...

One day however I realized I had questions no one would or could answer...It was then I first opened the Bible only to admit that yes, indeed it is not an easy book to comprehend. I was also not willing to let anyone tell me their opinions of such or other parts of the Bible.

Thus after many years I can only say I strongly believe the Bible to be the most beautiful story ever told, an instrument to guide believers and even non believers, to be used as intended and not for fire and brimstone and I am still struggling to read it.
There are different versions of the bible in our family as we do not all belong to the same Church yet we are of the same Faith.
It is a comfort to know we have taken a stand and show ourselves to be followers of Christ.

Finally I will share with you the Bible I hope to acquire someday. For some of us it has particular meaning being the bible used by Pilgrims in Jamestown. Printed originally in 1560, it reflects a remarkable history and would truly be a Treasure amongst others more modern versions.
Perhaps one day...

"The Geneva Bible was the Bible of the Puritans and the Pilgrims, who fled to the religious freedom of the New World in the early 17th century. The first edition of the Geneva Bible was published in 1560 in Geneva, Switzerland, after many of the English reformationists fled there because public reading of the Bible had been prohibited in England. Although never officially adopted in England, for three generations the Geneva Bible was the most popular of all English versions, 140 editions being published between 1560 and 1640. This version was read by Shakespeare and Bunyan and was of cardinal importance for its influence on the English language, literature, and thought. "