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He explained how important it was to have a special present for Mom on her birthday and how much it meant to her.
He told us that next time we had to be extra attentive to what my Mom said for at least a month before her birthday. “That way,” he said, “when you’re at the Mall with her and she remarks on what a beautiful perfume that is, or when she is in the kitchen wishing she had a new cookbook, or even when she’s tired after all the carrying and fetching during the day and can’t wait to soak in a warm bubble bath listening to her favorite CD, you’ll know what to buy her.” It was considerably easier after that, and we felt positively titillated the night before knowing that Mom was going to love opening all her presents.
A few years later, when my friend started telling me about her Dad’s upcoming 50th birthday, a little alarm bell went off in my head. She said that her Dad was always talking about his favorite childhood storybook, Uncle Lob’s Farm, and that she would love to get it for him for his birthday. The only problem was that the book was published some 40 or 50 years earlier and she didn’t know the author or the publisher. Since her dad was a particularly wonderful man, I told her that I would help her find it. After all, by this time, I was an expert present-picker.
And thus my quest began. First, it was the library, then the out-of-print bookstores, and then the collectible bookshops. Nothing. No one had even heard of the book. Her Dad’s 50th came and went, and she had to be content with giving him an ordinary present for an extra-ordinary occasion.
My friend never mentioned the book again. But I vowed in my heart that I would find it for her. We graduated from college and entered the workplace. My search never slowed. I entered every bookstore I passed, but always got the same response. Even when I traveled abroad, I would make a point of seeking out the old tucked-away bookshops in the hope of finding the elusive Uncle Lob’s Farm. But, sadly, my friend’s Dad became ill and passed away before I was able to find it. Now I could only imagine what delight would have appeared on his face had I been able to place the book in his hands.
We both subsequently immigrated — my friend to Australia, and I to America. I continued my search, confident that the Internet and its on-line bookstores would deliver the treasure I had been looking for. I was wrong. My journey was now beginning to feel like the never-ending chase for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But I knew it had to be out there.
It was about this time that I visited the little town of Julian in beautiful Southern California. As I passed an antique bookstore, I instinctively went inside. It was second nature for me, after all. I approached the salesperson and told her what I was looking for, expecting the customary smile and the usual “I’m sorry, Sir, I don’t think we have that one.” Well, you can imagine my surprise, almost disbelief, when she said that it had been staring at her for about 3 months on the shelf opposite the cash register, and that just this morning she had moved it the sale tent outside!
Like a bolt of lightning, I shot to the tent, running my finger from title to title, half expecting Uncle Lob’s Farm to stick to it like a magnet. I was in the tent for over two hours and must have gone over each title three or four times. Alas, to no avail.
I am still looking for Uncle Lob’s Farm. The search reminds me of my Dad’s important lesson, of my friend and the happy times we shared, and of the special person that her Dad was. It energizes my Catholic faith and puts it in perspective.
We are all on an exciting journey through life, longing for God our Father in Heaven. Our paths are often marred by trials and setbacks, and it may seem that our prayers are not always answered. But we carry on, trusting in the Wisdom and guidance of His Spirit, who lives in our hearts and enlightens our minds. And we learn from Jesus, His Son, whose example of Love is taught to us by so many people along the way. We know that we will never stop searching until we are reunited with Him.
And that is faith, the greatest gift of all.
