On February 27th, 2018, Today reported that a family has been hiding notes and money in bookstore books to honor their deceased grandmother.
The first note was discovered by Andrew Crochunis, who was shopping at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. While browsing books, a note fell out of one of the books. Attached was a five-dollar bill. The accompanying note read:
“Please accept this gift in loving memory of our grandmother who would take us to buy a book of our choosing every Christmas. She instilled in us a love of reading. Use this money towards a new book purchase. #omaluv.”
Barbara Longova, the grandmother referred to in the note, would bring her grandchildren to Browseabout Books every Christmas for a new book. According to her daughter, Nicole White, she loved living on the beach. Her favorite hobby was sitting on the porch with a glass of wine and a book. Since Longova’s death, her family has been putting the note with a $5 bill in random books across the bookstore.
According to Susan Kehoe, one of the bookstore’s managing partners, most customers do not even take the $5 bill or the note, instead choosing to pass along Longova’s kindness by putting the notes in other books.
For Crochunis, who found the note the day after the devastating Parkland shooting, it was a much-needed beacon of hope.
“My faith in the goodness of the world was low,” he commented to Today. “And then that note fell into my hand and I saw a glimmer of light.”
