For years I vowed I would NEVER get rid of any of my books. My library had reached 4,000 volumes and I valued my books above any other possession. But circumstances change. We had to downsize. We've sold our home and will close the deal on our "other" place in three weeks. It is much smaller and, consequently, books had to go. Ouch! This has been a painful realization.
For the last three Saturdays we have held a garage sale at my mother's home. The proceeds are going towards the Missions Trip to Belize that eight young people from our church are planning for late August. Our granddaughter Victoria is one of them. I went through my library several times, culling volumes from it that I
conv
inced myself I could live without. We had several tables filled with books at the garage sale and sold hundreds of them. I estimate that I took at least 1,200 volumes to the sale. We raised over $2,000.00 for the missions trip but I'm grieving the loss of much of my library. Most of my books are at my Peterborough office now and I'm determined that none of them will succumb to our downsizing.
Each time a delighted customer walked away with dozens of "my" books, paying only a pittance for them, I cried inwardly.
Life goes on though and perhaps we will own a home before I die with a huge library with floor to ceiling oak bookshelves.
Dream on David!
I'm so sorry to hear of your having to part with those books! I really feel bad for you. Each of my books mean something special to me, too, even though I do not have very many...even the least of them would be hard for me to part with!
ReplyDeleteGod bless you,
LPP
Dear David.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sad post!
I know exactly what you are going through.
When Bernie and I moved into a smaller house, I gave away thousands of books..
Oh the collection of a life time!
Good books!!
I gave them mostly to a book loving family because I knew that they would be looked after.
How bad I felt a week later when we were driving by their house to see the boxes and boxes of those precious books still out on their front lawn and it was raining!
I still have a few thousand books but I have hidden them in different spots throughout the house plus quite a few are in the attic.
Bernie thought because of lack of room , I should get rid of most of them but what he doesn't know won't hurt him, eh?
I hope that you kept those books that I gave to you David. I sent them to you at a sacrifice.
Maybe they are at your office, eh?
Good thing though that at least your books sales went to the missionary field David.
Hey what are you complaining about that those buyers just paid a pittance for those books?
It surely seems to me that quite often you would post about some of the good books that you, yourself just paid a pittance for!...Ha!
Take care and best wishes for a happy worry free move...Love Terry