Ava Rose's Little Black Book

Ava Rose Norwood grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ava Rose was a vibrant 18 year old seeking to find her way in the world. Ava Rose has a love for family, antiques, and history. She grew up poor, but seeking a new life and college was on the horizon. She yearned for it, but couldn’t fathom how she would pay for it.

Every summer, Ava Rose would visit her grandma Ruth in Camden, South Carolina. Grandma Ruth was an amazing woman who taught Ava Rose about family, love, history, and agriculture. Grandma Ruth was known for growing her little farm and giving her fruits and vegetables away to her neighbors. Grandma Ruth also loved church and instilled her faith into Ava Rose as much as she could.

Every week grandma Ruth and Ava Rose would attend church and till the land. Ava Rose would grow to love the simplicity of Camden without the hustle and bustle of fast city life. Ava Rose cherished her time with her grandma Ruth.

Ava Rose is dealt an emotional blow when her grandmother passed away in Camden, suddenly. It is now up to Ava Rose and her mother, Faith, to move to Camden to settle her grandmother Ruth’s affairs.

Ava Rose once again rediscovers Camden. She falls in love with the historical aspect of Camden, all the while helping her mother pack up grandma Ruth’s belongings. In the process of packing grandma Ruth’s things, Ava Rose becomes fascinated with a little black book with a lock on it.

Ava Rose and Faith would spend their days discovering Camden and their nights packing grandma Ruth’s things. Along an adventure to the museum, Ava Rose notices a book similar to that of grandma Ruth’s. Within this book is a secret compartment with artifacts of history. Ava Rose is in awe. She and her mother return home to discover what artifacts grandma Ruth could have left in her little black book.

Ava Rose and Faith begin a quest for what the grandmother could have hidden in her little black book. Amazingly, Ava Rose and Faith find a box of bibles the grandmother had cherished. Within the bible, they turn to the book of Ruth, Chapter 1 Ruth 1:16

But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you.

Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.

Your people will be my people and your God my God."

And low and behold, they find the key to the little black book. But what secrets did grandma Ruth keep. Their anticipation grew. Ava Rose and her mother Faith were excited to learn the history of the little black book.

Slowly, as they opened the little black book, pieces of papers with names were attached. Name and after name and address after address. Grandma Ruth had kept the deeds of land she had purchased for almost a hundred years.

Grandma Ruth was a frugal woman, but worked hard to help the community and purchased the land of her relatives of the years. The grandmother who most believed was poor was actually the owner of a large sum of wealth and had purchased 100 acres over her lifetime. And beneath the deeds was an envelope containing $20,000 and a note that simply read, I love you, Faith.

Grandma Ruth had known of her failing health, but didn’t want to burden Faith or Ava Rose. She simply wanted to leave a piece of history to those she cherished the most.

Ava Rose and Faith celebrated for this would change their lives. Ava Rose would discover the richness of grandmother and the history of the land she owned in Camden. Ava Rose and Faith would eventually move to Camden and Ava Rose was able to pay for college with the inheritance left by her grandmother.

Ava’s little black book changed her life and she was grateful for the grandmother who always welcomed her with open arms.