My Unbelievable Gift

    As my sister reached for that book I saw something in her face that gave me hope.  But, I had searched so long that I wouldn’t let myself even consider the possibility she may have found it.  Most likely it would be another disappointment.

    And the disappointments had been many over the years.  The object of my search was a little book that my mother often read to me as a child in the mid-thirties -- a little book about five adventurous raccoons named Ibbidy, Bibbidy, Sibbidy, Sap & Nibs.  The memories of our time together grew more precious each year, and after my mother’s death I felt  that book was a symbol of those loving times we shared.
   
    Determined to find that book and relive those special memories of my mother, I began a search that lasted for years.  My search was complicated by the fact that I couldn’t remember the title of the book or the author.  I recall the cover was pink, white and black, and there were those five little raccoons named Ibbidy, Bibbidy, Sibbidy, Sap & Nibs.  But those clues proved to be empty as I checked out bookstores and antique shops.  “A book about raccoons whose names were WHAT?” was the usual reaction I got, followed by polite smiles and sometimes outright laughter.  Even through the capabilities of the computer, the search was stymied without more critical information.

    Every bookstore, every library, every antique shop was an avenue to pursue.  Though my mind told me there was a possibility I’d find the book, deep down in my heart I was beginning to look at it as more of an impossibility -- a “book-needle” in a haystack of overstuffed bookshelves.  “God, it seems like such an unimportant request for me to ask of you, but sometime, somewhere would you let me find my book?” I would ask at the beginning of each new search.

    It was an extremely hot day in Dallas when I got an answer.  I often visited my sister there, and browsing for antiques was one of our favorite pastimes.  That particular

day the heat was so oppressive we almost bypassed the final shop on our list to head on to a cool air-conditioned house, but the lure of all those fascinating antiques drew us in.  After an hour of browsing through antiques, we looked at each other and at the same time said, “Children’s books?” and headed off to the children’s book section to make the usual search for my little raccoons.  

    We began examining the myriad of books on the overstocked shelves, while my sister secretly offered up a prayer of her own that God would help us in our search. The children’s books in the section I examined were of various vintage and subjects.  I found several books I had read to my own children, but found no Ibbidy, Bibbidy and brothers.  “I might just as well give up, there’s so many books...” but as I rounded the corner, there was my sister gingerly reaching up to the top shelf of the bookcase she was searching.  I watched as she slowly began to pull out a little pink, white and black book.  I stood there incredulously watching as first Ibbidy appeared, then Bibbidy, Sibbidy, then Sap and lastly little Nibs.

    My book!! She had found my book.  “Thank you, God!”  Among the hundreds and hundreds of books I had looked through over the years, there were my five little raccoons!  The sweet recollections of my beautiful mother poured over me.  The pictures, the story, and the colors were as vivid as if we had just read it together.  I could almost taste, smell and feel the story just as I had all those years ago. “Mom, look what we’ve found!  I bet you’re clapping for joy in Heaven,” I whispered.

    There we stood, my sister and I, two grown women holding a children’s book and crying.  What a sight we must have been.  And as I walked out of that shop with my precious gift under my arm, I still had trouble believing my memory was now a reality.

    It’s a confirmation to me that God delights in giving special little gifts to remind us how he loves us.

    Today as I reach for that little book in its prominent place in my bookcase, I know I will be transferring beautiful memories to my little grandchildren as we read about the adventures of Ibbidy, Bibbidy, Sibbidy, Sap & Nibs.  And, someday this book will be theirs to remember the love we shared together with our little raccoons.