Fond Reminiscence...

"If you cannot read all your books, at any rate handle, or as it were, fondle them -- peer into them, let them fall open where they will, read from the first sentence that arrests the eye, set them back on the shelves with your own hands, arrange them on your own plan so that you at least know where they are. Let them be your friends; at any rate let them be your acquaintances." - Winston Churchill

Thank you, Mr. Churchill, for this glorious quote. This is precisely how I feel about my Victorias. I can scarcely go a day without at least looking at one, putting one on my bedside table so it is easily within reach should I have a moment to pick it up.

There is something deeply reassuring about just knowing they are all there whenever I get ready to read or even just look at one... and, for me, that is often. There are days that are so busy and technical-information-laden that the mere sight of the beautiful cover of one of my Victorias causes my blood pressure to settle and my nerves to calm. If you think it odd to make such a statement about a "mere" magazine, then you have obviously not had the pleasure of her company.

Sometimes I feel as L.M. Montgomery so aptly describes in this scene from Anne of Green Gables:

"Anne was curled up Turk-fashion on the hearthrug, gazing into that joyous glow where the sunshine of a hundred summers was being distilled from the maple cordwood. She had been reading, but her book had slipped to the floor, and now she was dreaming, with a smile on her parted lips. Glittering castles in Spain were shaping themselves out of the mists and rainbows of her lively fancy; adventures wonderful and enthralling were happening to her in cloudland -- adventures that always turned out triumphantly and never involved her in scrapes like that of real life."

Shirlene Tomanek-Lowdermilk - An Accidental Encounter with Victoria

I can still remember clearly when I discovered Victoria Magazine. It was a Sunday, and I wanted a new magazine to read. So, I went to the store to pick up my usual "fashion" magazines to have an afternoon of reading. As I reached for my favorite magazine, this "other" magazine fell to the floor. I picked it up, not looking at it, and placed it back on the shelf. Again, it fell to the floor. This time when I picked it up, I turned it over and looked at the cover. I was just amazed at such a beautiful cover. This "other" magazine was the premier issue of Victoria, 1987. I quickly thumbed through the magazine, but I knew immediately this magazine would fulfill me more than any of all the fashion magazines I usually purchased. From that moment it was a love affair that lasted until the very last issue. I had kept all the old issues of the magazines at my office so I would always have some inspiration with me though out the day. Unfortunatley and sadly our office closed when the owner passed away, and the building was sold with all its contents very quickly so that I was unable to retrieve the old issues. I didn't realize this until after some time had passed. I may not have the magazines, but I will always have my memories of those beautiful magazines. I am so pleased that Victoria came back.

Thank you for allowing me to share my story with you.

Sincerely,
Shirlene Tomanek-Lowdermilk