Turning Pages

Jasmine wasn’t sure what to do with the book. Her friend simply gave it to her at work, out of the blue.

“Have you met my best friend?” Yuri asked.

“No, I don’t think I have.”

Yuri was the type of person who was wild and chaotic, yet kind and optimistic. They were eating lunch when Yuri pulled out a small book and handed it to Jasmine. For a second, Jasmine’s heart thudded uncomfortably in her chest.

“What’s it about?”

“My best friend and his dad. Everything you need to know is in this book.”

Jasmine simply stared at it. She put the little book in her pocket. Now, here she was at home, looking at the delicate pages. It held no title on the cover, just a brown leather cover. She ran her fingers over the worn leather cover, feeling the faint ridges and indentations—evidence of years of use. For a moment, she wondered who else had held it before her. She flipped through the pages in curiosity. She sighed and decided she’d read it in the days to come.

***

Jasmine didn’t read the book Yuri had given to her. It continued to collect dust on her bookshelf. She moved on with her life. There were moments she felt she was merely drifting through her own existence. She worked tirelessly, burying herself in tasks to avoid the unease she felt within. Visiting her mother and father every other weekend brought some solace. Jasmine finished paying off her student loans and dated here and there, yet each moment felt detached, like watching someone else's life unfold. Her promotion, though a significant achievement, did little to uplift her spirits. People around her saw her as successful, but Jasmine knew a void was growing inside her—a hollow echo of unrealized aspirations. Her work became her companion as she lost touch with Yuri. Soon, Jasmine’s life was blank with endless work. Some would call her a workaholic.

***

Jasmine received a call from her mother. Her father had just passed away. When she gets enough time off from work, she tends to her mother. The funeral was brief, and he was buried at the same cemetery as his father. Words of comfort drifted over her head like distant music, meaningless and soft. She stared at the closed casket, her nails digging into her palm, and wondered if she’d ever hear her father’s laugh again. Jasmine and her mother came home to an all-too-quiet house. Jasmine sat on the edge of her childhood bed, still the same as she left it ten years ago. Silence presses down on her. She remembered how her father’s laugh used to fill this house, how his voice would rise and fall as he read stories aloud. Why had she never visited more often? Having enough of the suffocating loneliness, she returned downstairs to find her mother in her father’s office. Jasmine entered the office and looked at the thousands of books before her. Her mother stood there before speaking.

“You can take some of your father’s books. He would have liked that.”

Her mother looked down before exiting the room.

“Okay,” She said numbly.

Jasmine went through his bookshelf. She traced her fingers along the edges of the book when she felt something familiar. A brown leathered book, twice the size of what she had. She pulled it out.

“Hey, Mom, what is this?”

Her mother entered and placed her hand on the book.

“This is your father’s favorite book. He said it helped him through hard times. He must’ve read this thousands of times. He read through this thing every morning and even read it to me,” she paused, “Keep it, he would want you to have it.”

Jasmine looked at it curiously.

“What’s it about?”

“Many things,” Her mother grabbed a journal from the shelf, “He studied the book and wrote notes down here. Maybe you can finish where he left off.”

“Maybe,” she mumbled.

***

When Jasmine returned home, she held the book in her lap for a long time, staring at the cover. Reading it felt like admitting she needed something, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that. The more she ignored it, the more she wanted read it. What was so great about this book? Why did he read it so much? Her curiosity got the best of her, and so she read the pages. She read the journal and the leather-bound book. She was in deep. Stories, intertwined into bigger stories. Romance. Mysteries. Poetry. History. Violence. Courage. Love. Peace. Chaos. She didn’t understand most of it, and, to the looks of it, neither did her father.

***

Jasmine walked into work, mesmerized by the words she had read through. Her mind fizzed together to try to figure out all the mysteries of that book. She wasn’t sure.

“Oh, sorry.”

Jasmine ran into someone, so distracted in thought. She looked up and couldn’t believe her eyes. It was Yuri! She hugged her quickly.

“Hey, it’s been a while.”

“Jasmine, what have you been up to?”

“Oh, nothing much. Mostly reading. How about you?”

“Well, I recently got a new car, nothing cool, just a Honda, I joined a new church...”

She paused and looked at my notebook.

“Whatcha reading?”

“Oh, remember that book you gave me? These are all my dad’s notes. He has so many notes and so few answers. I still have thousands of questions.”

Yuri smiled, “Hey, I have a study I go to every week. Why don’t you come? It could help you with some of your questions.”

“Really? That would be great.”

“How about tomorrow afternoon at the Cafe Bloom?”

“Sounds great!”

***

Jasmine sat on the edge of her chair, feeling awkward, but as Yuri introduced her to the others, she sensed warmth in their laughter. For the first time in weeks since her father passed, she felt less alone. The group shared their own stories of struggle, faith, and resilience, each anecdote wrapping Jasmine in a sense of belonging. Jasmine had many questions. Why did God still go through with creation if he knew they would fall? Did this all really happen? Not only did the group members offer thoughtful answers to her questions, but their personal insights and experiences painted a broader picture of faith. Soon, the day was over, and Jasmine was left with courage. She thought of Daniel in the lion's den, of David and Goliath, of Noah in the ark, Abraham’s promise, of Jonah in the fish, and of Paul writing to the churches in the depths of prison. If they could all do that, she wondered, what could she do, knowing what she knew now? Lastly, she thought of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. She couldn’t believe how much Jesus loved her. His love was completely immeasurable. She smiled and held the worn leather book.

***

Some years later...

Jasmine held her head high. She carried a brown leather book. She smiled softly and handed the book.

“Do you know my best friend?”