35 years ago, I came into possession of my grandparents’ antique bookcase and rolltop desk.

As a child, they were magical. The bookcase was HUGE and overflowing with books. I loved the curve of the cut-out wood doors and how the glass behind reflected the colors of the day.

And the desk! I would have sworn it had 1000 drawers (it has only 8), each one filled with its own treasures and secrets. I used to spend hours opening and closing each drawer, playing with its contents.

After my grandfather Manny died, my grandmother Beryl moved to assisted living. My father balked at moving furniture from her place on East 28th Street to my studio apartment 10 blocks away. What are you going to do with it? It’ll never fit! You don’t have any space, he complained.

Besides, they looked a little ratty – even then. The back of the bookcase was peeling away from the frame and the bottom was sagging. The desk was missing chips of wood and the trim was tarnished.

But I put my foot down. I want them, I said.

(And, it’s not like my father was going to have to move the furniture himself. So what’s the big deal?)

In my tiny NYC apartment, there was only ONE wall along which the bookcase would fit. And ONE place where the desk would fit. God was with me, because those two pieces fit PERFECTLY, with barely an inch to spare.

For years, I loved them large and used them well.

When I moved to Charleston, I put “repair Grandma’s antique bookcase and desk” on my to-do list. Life got in the way – as it usually does. Eventually, I got around to researching “antique wood furniture restoration Charleston.” I found a local company, Chehaw River Woodworks, who took my precious heirlooms into their care.

The day Chehaw delivered them, I pranced about like Mary Kate (Maureen O’Hara) in The Quiet Man when her furniture arrives. My things!! My furniture! Easy now!! Over there by the wall!

Grandma’s bookcase and antique rolltop desk now have a new lease on life.

The bookcase doors close properly!

And the desk – look at how the trim sparkles! I can make out the details for the first time!

Their magic has come back to my home.

I spend a couple of hours returning the books and memorabilia to their former places.

… Like my grandfather’s Abridged Prayer Book for Jews in the Army and the Navy of the United States (from WWI/1917)

… My father’s copy of The Holy Scriptures, presented to him on his confirmation day in 1943.

… The tattered Union Prayer Book inscribed “To Jay W.K., From Gram”

… My own copy of The Holy Bible I received for my confirmation in 1981.

… And others.

I hold the books their hands held, once.

Grandma’s magic desk is nestled in a corner – like an ornate altar – among portraits of my parents (as children), my grandparents, and great-grandparents. The Ancestors’ Corner. I look at their faces as if they are actually assembled around me.

In my mind, I say,

I have restored these pieces to their rightful beauty. This is my offering to you, in your memory and your honor. May it be acceptable in your eyes.

And just as softly, I hear them say,

It is. It most definitely is.