A Mere Dot

So small, I almost missed it. It’s there, though. Not just one, but several scattered throughout my book. Put there by an ancestor I never met. Camille Fitzpatrick Jacob. A great-grandmother whose bloodline runs through my son’s veins.

I first mentioned an antique book I inherited that belonged to Camille, written by J.R. Macduff, in my February 2, 2023 post, God Knows Our Need.

You can find another post I wrote inspired by Rev. Macduff’s devotional book, The Words and Mind of Jesus, here.

An Identifying Dot

Between February and March, I noticed something intriguing as I read this small book. Occasionally, in this  devotional packed with a mountain of wisdom, Camille placed a tiny, pen point dot on devotions she wished to identify as meaningful. A mere dot to identify words that spoke to her at the moment she read them.

A Dot of Insight

That mere dot tells me that while the entire book may have been important to Camille, she signified which ones were especially meaningful to her. That pen point dot gives insight into what she thought worth remembering.

Reading the devotions with the mere dot, the tiny, almost imperceptible mark, helps me understand the woman I never met. It offers a window into what she considered important.

The Dot Caught My Eye

Perhaps it is because a fellow undergrad called me the Queen of Highlighting long ago, that I noticed the small dot. If you were to look at my Bibles or numerous books, you would see why my friend gave me the nickname.

I like to highlight passages and verses I find significant. Those I want to easily refer back to. And that’s why I believe Camille placed a mere dot on some of the pages she read.

I believe, like me, she wanted to have that dot as a reminder of something significant.

What kind of dots are we leaving behind?

When we leave this life, what will our family discover was important to us? What will they find we viewed as significant?

Will those who never met us gain a glimpse into our lives through what we own or how we spent our time?

If they scrolled through our social media posts would they get a clearer picture of what we thought or how we said it?

What is our impact?

What is the impact of our influence on the people in our lives?

I never met Camille Fitzpatrick Jacob, but I knew four of her children. They were people whose lives she influenced. I knew what they valued as important. I saw how they treated people. Camille’s children were witnesses to her life.

As I read through this book of hers, I look for those dots. I try to imagine what she might have felt or been going through to cause her to pick each specific devotion.

I look to see if the devotional thoughts I find significant, were ones she felt significant as well.

I also wonder. What will those who come behind me think of the things I have highlighted throughout my life.

Your Turn

Do you have an heirloom you treasure for the person who owned it? Does the item give you insight into what they felt was important or meaningful?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Luke 12:37 (NKJV)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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(The dot Camille placed on the devotion in the picture above is from a devotion based on Luke 12:37, although the book reads Luke 12:35. Typos even in the 1880s. 🙂 )