My Bible

Sometime not long after September 11, 2001 I found a bible.  It was in the lost and found at work and remained there for at least a month before I took it to lunch with me.  For about a week I read the bible during lunch and put it back in the lost and found after lunch.  

I had never taken the time previously to sit and read through the bible.  The bible in the lost and found was a study bible with lots of explanations and notes.  As I read through each passage I would read the corresponding notes.  Initially I was just jumping to the most common stories.  Jonah, David and Goliath, the Birth, the Death, etc. . . 

At some point I decided that enough time had passed in the lost and found and I started keeping the bible in the car.  I also decided to start at the first page and read through the entire book.  Since that time I have read about ninety percent.  This bible has played an important role in my growth as a Christian and I still carry it in the car almost all the time.  Knowing how important it has been to me caused me to sometimes think about the person that lost this book.

There is a name, hand written, in the inside cover with a date.  Shortly after taking the bible as mine, I searched the name on the internet but could not find any information.  I didn't worry about it too much, and I continued to use the bible.   

During the days leading up to Christmas this year I started thinking more about this bible and what it has done for me.  It made me again think about the name in the book.  What meaning did this bible have to him?  It must of had some significant meaning for it to be found at a retail store.  Do you carry your bible into the store with you while you shop?   I decided that I would search the internet again for this person.   My plan was to find his address and mail him the bible for Christmas.  

The name is not a common name and I know the town where I found the bible.   This time, I found some good information on the person.  I still couldn't pin down an address, but I found out his wife's name, his age - which makes sense with the date in the book, his children's name's, and his career.   -- It can be scary how much Google will tell about you.  Without paying at the people search websites, I felt like I was at a dead end.  I did a search on Facebook and found the wife.  I sent her a message in the days after Christmas.  I gave a lot of detail in my note to her so that she could verify my story with her husband.  I asked for their address and told her I wanted to return the bible to her husband.   I have not heard back from her yet.  I'm hoping that her lack of response is due to them being on vacation and not due to her ignoring my note.  

I think I'm going to give her this week to answer my email and then I'm going to email the adult son on Facebook.  After that, I may have to put my quest on hold.  I was really hoping to get this bible back to its owner, but if that's not possible, it will continue to be used frequently.