James Branch Cabell

By Carl Van Doren

Copyright 1932

Although I have this book on my shelf, I’ve never read it.  And honestly, I probably never will read it, at least not in its entirety.   I do believe I’ll always treasure it, though, due to the very short inscription inside the front cover.  It states simply,

 Madeleine Park 

 Feb. 1932.

Madeleine Park was my great aunt and my godmother.  She was commonly known to me as Aunt Birdie.  If I remember the story correctly, her nickname came about because she was afraid of birds!   I was not quite ten years old when Aunt Birdie died at the age of 82, and I know little about her life, but 10 years was enough time for me to learn a valuable lesson from her.  Hospitality.

Many summer mornings, my mom would visit her mother, Martha Kolzow, over on Davis Street.  I would go with and spend some time there, sitting on Grandma’s enclosed front porch and perhaps dusting the furniture in her living room.  After a bit, my brother Adam and I would often ask if we could go visit Aunt Birdie and Uncle Bill.  Conveniently, they lived just a few houses down. 

Aunt Birdie and Uncle Bill never had children of their own, yet always knew how to make my brother and I feel loved and welcomed.  We would sip lemonade in the living room and chat a little.  I don’t recall what two elderly people and two young children discussed, but I remember always feeling like they enjoyed our visits.  How nice to feel like your presence is appreciated! 

Aunt Birdie and me

This display of hospitality affected me so much that all these years later, when I see her name inscribed in this book, I remember how I felt on those summer mornings.  It doesn’t take much to let someone know they are appreciated.  A smile, eye contact, a little friendly conversation, can make a great deal of difference in a person’s life.  I only hope I provide a fraction of Aunt Birdie’s thoughtfulness to guests who knock on my door!