Over coffee I was reading Michael Rill’s post about noticing and revisiting books of advice that might take on new meaning with more life experience. One particular book came to mind immediately.
Mom loved If Life Is a Game, These Are the Rules by Cherie Carter-Scott. She gave me a copy for Christmas back in 2003.
I already had the book and never thumbed past the inscription, filing it away in the good bookcase and eventually giving the other copy to someone else.
After reading Michael’s post I went to retrieve it and the most lovely thing happened…

I leafed past the inscription and noticed a dollar bill tucked deep in the pages.

And then another…

One. Then two. Three. Four. Five! They were all over!


Turns out they were bookmarks to places where mom left little notes…
As I pulled them out I noticed each had a single red sharpie letter along the edge.
A puzzle!

It was fairly easy, they spelled MERRY CHRISTMAS (missing one M). But I’m slow and it took me a while as tears were beginning to well up…
I was playing a game with mom again.
One she started 20 years ago.
And of course it happened through a book.
