Does anyone really use a dictionary anymore?

I mean a real dictionary. Hard-covered and hefty. With hundreds and hundreds of tissue-paper pages. Tiny type.

Here’s Mom‘s copy, now in our home:

I weighed it. Thirteen pounds. Measured it, too: 11.5″ x 9.5″ x 5″.

Thousands of pages …

… starting with Mr. Webster:

Researching Mr. Webster a bit, my favorite quote is that he was instrumental in giving American English a dignity and vitality of its own. He served in the American Revolution, graduated from Yale in 1778, taught school, and became a lawyer. While teaching, he became aggravated by the poor quality of text books.

Noah Webster got to work.

His first dictionary was released when he was 70 years old. Of course, there were criticisms, but his work has managed to last through the centuries. He’s buried in New Haven, next to the Yale campus.

Mom wrote to Dad during their college days that she hoped to someday read the entire dictionary. Each and every word.

In 2001, she also wrote a poem about her love of the book.

Up in Arms

Cradling the dictionary at my desk
I hold its bulk between my arms
instead of standing
I won’t look down on words
from such a height
they are often above me
I do like holding them
close to my heart
rounding them up like errant children
here and there
learning their language
adopting the last ones
for a place in the poem

~ joan vayo July 11, 2001

Flipping through Mom’s dictionary today, I wondered if there might be a long-forgotten note or bookmark.

I was not disappointed.

This flower was pressed inside waxed paper and tucked away toward the back of the book. It was in the section that lists the population of cities and towns within the United States.

And yes, the town listed just below the dried flower … Roseville.

I don’t know who left it there, or when. It could have been any of my brothers, or me. Or my parents, saving a special bloom for a loved one to find after they were gone.

And remember.

“Up in Arms” ©2001 Joan C. Vayo. All rights reserved.

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