The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Placemat

I love the simple explanation in the Velveteen Rabbit of how we become real. It takes time and usually hurts as we get rubbed by people and circumstances. But when it's done, we and those around us are better for it. This is a profound parable about aging and the hope of transformation disguised as a children's book. A stuffed rabbit's deepest longing is to become "Real," and he does so only by being used up in the service of love -- losing his life in order to find it. With each rereading, the image of the little stuffed bunny discovering that he can leap and dance with the other rabbits in the forest renews my vision of eternal life with God. ~Michelle Van Loon