Sometimes, I will read something, and all of the sudden, I will have product images dancing in my head. That is partially how the "Dad's Legacy" Personalized Leather Book got started. As I said, the following story is only part of the inspiration for the Dad's Legacy Personalized leather book. Actually, the inspiration for this personalized leather book was two-fold.

Because a Dad's Legacy is so great...I want to take a few minutes to introduce you to the Dad's Legacy Personalized leather book and the inspiration behind it.

Dad's Legacy personalized leather book - Inspiration 1 (the idea behind the personalized leather book): My own father. After creating the "Mother's Legacy" Personalized leather book, I got thinking about my own parents, and my children.

My son lost his father when he was just a baby, which just reminds how very blessed I am to have my dad with me now, and how much I've benefited from his constant guidance through the years. My dad has taught me so much - not just in thought and word, but, also through his actions.

Not only is my dad the one who is responsible for my love of tooling leather (and therefore at least partially responsible for the creation of Legacy Journals), but, there is so much more to my dad's legacy. So much that I wanted to be sure to preserve for my children, and their children, and their children's children. I realize that my dad isn't going to live forever, and I want to be sure that his legacy endures for generations to come.

Brothers and sisters, as I mentioned in my previous post, I have created a tribute to the life and service of Pope John Paul II as well, and although it pales in comparison to David Yackley's tribute (if you haven't looked at it yet, you really should!), it's created in a different medium - one that I know well - in the form of a very special holy rosary. This rosary has so much meaning in it, I am compelled to share the story behind the creation of this rosary with you tonight.

First, I must mention the importance that Pope John Paul II placed on the rosary during his time as Pontiff - not only did he declare October 2002-October 2003 the Year of the rosary, but, in his Apostolic Letter "ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE ", he states:

"The Rosary, reclaimed in its full meaning, goes to the very heart of Christian life; it offers a familiar yet fruitful spiritual and educational opportunity for personal contemplation, the formation of the People of God, and the new evangelization."

Thus, this tribute takes the form of a rosary. Now, I will share with you the "rest of the story" behind my tribute to the life of the Holy Father: the Totus Tuus Holy Rosary.

A month or two ago, I created this fabulous silver filigree egg shaped pendant. I loved the look of the pendant, and the meaning in my head behind it, and planned on putting it on my website right away. But, here it is, a few months later, and I have yet to take a few moments and add it to my site. I'm actually working on larger eggs - ones that would be more "centerpiece" than jewelry, with gemstones embedded in them - I'm testing to see exactly how large I can make one, and still have it fire correctly.

You see, I still fire all my precious metal work by hand - using a torch that is just right - rather than a kiln. I carefully clean and polish each piece by hand, rather than using easier (less time intensive) automated methods. Some of my friends who are also business owners can't believe that I actually take the time to do everything by hand. But, I know that in many cases, it produces an item that is of a quality far and above what any mechanical/automated processes can possibly make. I know, when I finish a piece, that it is fitting for a king - my King - and His heirs (you!). And, quite frankly, that is exceptionally important to me.

Anyway, tonight, as I was working on other things, that silver egg popped into my head again. I'm still not sure why I haven't added it to my product line yet, but, since it's on my mind, I thought I would share a sneak peek of this exquisite little egg with you, along with the deep meaning of and inspiration behind this beautiful egg, particularly during this most holy week.