The Story of Touslehead

Touslehead's Plight

After my mother passed on recently, I spent a few weeks at my childhood home on the farm going through a lifetime accumulation of belongings, spending my days afloat in an ocean of memories.

One afternoon I came upon my favorite childhood book 'The Shiniest Star' by Beth Vardon, illustrated by Charlot Byi. It was a beautiful book given to me by my Great Aunt Florence. I loved it when Aunt Florence came to visit. She had skin like velvet, always always wore lipstick and smelled like attar of roses and cookie tins. Her bejewelled hands would tat, as if it were second nature for her, and it seemed as if she rarely looked down at her handiwork. And.... she gave lovely gifts.

My beloved book was a spiral bound deluxe edition with a gold foil star on the original cover and pop ups and inclusions inside, such as a tin whistle. It is now these many years later missing it's covers.

As I began to read, childhood memories came flooding back. It is a story/poem about little angels and the first Christmas star. I recalled that I had identified with Touslehead, the littlest angel. Although I loved the book, I had always been so sad over Touslehead's plight. Though she polished and polished, she could not get her star to shine.

"’My star doesn’t seem to shine

Theirs are bigger – theirs are better.

Look at theirs so twinkly bright!’

And a tear fell down from Heaven

like a raindrop in the night…”

I began to ponder why at such a young age -- probably 4 yrs, that I would identify with the angel that could not get her star to shine. It seemed vaguely troubling and I mentioned this to my sister. Her perspective on it was this. "You say that (at that young age), you had no sense yet of not being able to get your star to shine..because you knew that all stars could shine and you were sad that Touslehead didn't get it. That she was already perfect."

In the end Touslehead stays up all night polishing her star and through perseverance it is her star that shines so brightly that it is a guide for the wise men on their way to Bethlehem. Her star is the Star of Guidance and the Star of Love. A very good thing to identify with.

Amazon has copies of this book for $119.58!

Perhaps one day I will buy a reprint, hopefully a special deluxe edition like the one that is now on my bookshelf. For now, I think I will love my book just the way it is, missing the covers, the inclusions and even a few last pages.  However, the last page that is still intact, is the page that turns the story around and brings the sigh of a good ending....

"...Star of Guidance, Star of Love”

Touslehead thought , “Am I dreaming?

It’s MY star they’re speaking of!”