How to Honor an Avid Reader’s Life After an Untimely Death
Build bookshelves as a lasting tribute
Ben and Grace Einstein
I’m an avid reader and book lover. I’ve been dreaming of floor to ceiling bookshelves all across the front bedroom wall, a 12-foot span by 8 feet high, with the potential for showcasing hundreds of books. My husband is a retired contractor and collector of garden books, so we knew we’d both enjoy all that linear space for book display.
Naturally, my ears perked up when I heard a story announced on Good Morning America. October 25th, about a man building a bookcase for his wife.
A Sadder Story Than I Expected
Sadly, the story was not what I had envisioned. A woman named Grace was a voracious reader. When she and her husband moved into their home, she spied the striking, super-tall, empty wall — a perfect place for floor-to-ceiling bookcases complete with a rolling library ladder. (What book aficionado doesn’t dream of a rolling library ladder?)
But the bookshelves never got built. Grace was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer. Despite chemo and a dignified battle against the disease, Grace died way too soon. As a way to honor her memory — and to do something constructive to battle the intense…
