The Little Black Book

2/12/21

The Little Black Book: A Hidden Treasure

It all started when our home was destroyed in a fire, and we lost everything. We decided to relocate to another part of the country. We didn't have a lot of money, but we did have enough to put a down payment on an old farmhouse. It needed a lot of TLC. It was an old, weathered, gray, snow covered structure with all the makings of a family farm, which was just what we were looking for, so after talking it over, we decided to go to the bank and sign the papers.

The house was full of possessions from the previous owners. After taking a good look around, we decided to donate most of it to charity-the stuff that could be used. We tossed the rest. There were lots of old papers, books, etc. As I was going through them, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, I came across a little black book. Usually, when someone speaks of a little black book, it refers to a book containing information like private phone numbers, meetings, and messages-but not this one.

This little black book was filled with the everyday thoughts and lives of the previous owners. Their happy days, sad days, gardening days, their special everyday moments - you name it, it was in there. As I started reading it, I realized that this book was a real treasure and should be handed down to one of their family members, someone who would appreciate it's contents. So I picked up the phone and started calling random numbers of descendants of the previous owners.

After several attempts, I finally found a long lost relative. It was their only son. I explained to him who I was and what I had found as I was cleaning out his parents' old farmhouse. And shared how I thought that he would like to have it. We arranged a meeting for later that afternoon. The doorbell rang, and when I opened the door, standing in front of me was a middle-aged man who looked worn and very tired. I smiled and invited him inside. He started looking all around, and I could see a warm smile forming across his face. He said, "please forgive me, but you see, I grew up in this house and have nothing but loving memories of it. As we walked through the rooms, he pointed to the places where he played and shared how he would sit at his parents' feet while they told him stories from the Bible. There was an old piano in the corner where his mother would play and sing gospel songs.

The man spoke of how his mother would insist on writing everything down in this little black book. She said that it was especially important and would be of some use to him some day. He said that the last time he saw her, she made him promise that, if after her passing, and if someone else moved into the house, found the book, and delivered it to him, that he was to read the special message that was written in the last entry.

So I handed him the book and told him that I felt that the book was meant for him. We sat down at the kitchen table, and he started turning the pages with great interest. When he finally got to the last entry, He said, "Ma'am, I believe this part is meant for you." " How can that be?" I replied, "I didn't even know them." That's when he started to explain. " My parents built this house themselves and loved every moment that they spent in it. And so, they wanted to make sure that whoever moved into the house and made it their home could enjoy it and all the contents as they did- free of charge and with a clear deed. All they had to do was return the book to me. ' Wow! I was so overwhelmed with joy and surprise. Just to think that someone would choose to plan that far ahead to make someone else's life a little easier just warmed my heart, We more people like this in the world.

As the man was leaving, I told him that if there was anything here that he wanted for himself, he was welcome to take it. He just smiled and said, "No, it's all yours, just as they wanted. I hope that you get just as much enjoyment out of this home as we did." And with that , he left.

It was the end of the day, and there was still lots of work to be done. We finally finished cleaning the main rooms of the house. The basement was the only place left that hadn't been touched. We were left with lots of items to put away, so we decided that the basement was the perfect place to store them. Unfortunately, we had to clean it out first. it had been a long day, so we decided to wait till the following morning. So we set the alarm for 6 a.m., and off to bed we went.

The alarm sounded the next morning, and off we went into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee before heading down to the basement. Wow! there was a lot of stuff down there! Old furniture, old trunks, and more books were scattered about the space. Somebody really liked to read. We finally managed to clear everything out except one old trunk. Our curiosity got the better of us, and so, we decided to open it. When we popped the latch we could see that it was full of old papers and pictures. When we finally got to the bottom, we noticed a secret compartment. We opened it, and much to our surprise, another treasure! Hidden inside was a leather pouch filled with cash and another pouch had several bonds in it. We took them upstairs to assess their value. Would you believe that the total combined amount was over $20,000?!

We immediately called the previous owner's son again and told him what we had found. He said, "It's all yours as the book explained-a clear deed and all it's contents." We broke down in tears. We had lost everything in a fire, and were given so much more in return -thanks to the generosity and love of someone that we didn't even know.

And so, I genuinely believe that angels really do exist.

Bonnie Suttles

7323 state route 784

South shore, KY ,41175