Flipping through History

s the library cull continues, I've happened upon some pieces of forgotten history trapped in the books.

Sometimes I find an ancient newspaper article about an event in my hometown; sometimes I find old love letters written to my husband (mostly by me, once not). But most of the ephemera are cards sent to me by my sister.

My sister chooses her cards carefully—from museums, artists, and letterpress shops—and I think I've saved every one. They become bookmarks, and I, in turn, carefully choose which one best complements the content of whatever books I'm reading.

We weren't prolific letter writers. But rereading her cards is like seeing a timeline of the events in our lives.

So I continue saving them. I flip through each book before surrendering it to the sale shelves to make certain I haven't missed any cards. They're beautiful, functional, informative, and they keep me connected to my sister every time I pick up a book.