The Kept Flower

When is the last time you put aside an item in a safe place that held a special meaning to you?  We are all known to tuck away items from time to time as keepsakes and this week's Find of the Week on the Used Book Floor was just such a discovery.   

     Our find was hidden in a copy of an 11^th edition "Robert's Rules of Order” book published in 2011.  This timeless set of rules for conduct at meetings was first created in 1875 when Henry Martyn Robert, an engineering officer in the Army, was asked to preside over a meeting being held in his town.  He quickly realized that he did not know how.  After failing miserably and feeling embarrassed, Robert vowed never to attend or preside over another meeting until he had researched parliamentary law.  Upon completion of his research, he created the now well-known "Robert's Rules of Order" guide that has been updated eleven times to show the progress in parliamentary laws and procedure. You are probably well acquainted with Robert's Rules and may not have even realized that you have been following them, or attending meetings where others are.  If you are familiar with a call to order, accepting minutes of a previous meeting or making a motion, you have been introduced to Robert's Rules of Order.

    When we first saw an envelope (our find) tucked into the procedural book, we have to admit, we thought it might turn out to be a copy of minutes from a meeting, or perhaps even the notes of a nervous first-timer looking to read up on how one presides over such an event.  Alas, however, we could not have been more wrong.  Inside the envelope was what appeared to be a dried rose and a note that says "Christine, Christmas 1972" alongside it.  Flowers tend to tell a tale, be it one of joy, congratulations, thinking of you, sorrow, or holiday remembrance.  As we held it up, we could not help but wonder what story the rose took part in 46 years ago.  This flower was important enough for its recipient to tuck it into an envelope with a note, press it, and hang onto it for decades.  We certainly hope that the rose was one denoting happy times, but it is impossible to tell. 

     Does this discovery make you wonder where your keepsakes are that you once put in a "safe place" and how long they have been there?  Something tells us that the owner of this special item never thought it would end up on the shelves of a used book floor in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire just shy of 50 years later. 

     “Robert's Rules of Order” can be yours for the price of $4.99 and the 46 year-old find is yours, as well.  You can catch up with our previous finds of the week from the used book floor at bayswaterbooks.com and on facebook. Better yet, stop by our store in Center Harbor and check out the used book floor for yourself!