Joanna Gaines Recounts How a Lost Bible From Her Dad Found Her Years Later

A touching miracle reconnected Joanna Gaines to a treasured gift from her father, the Fixer Upper star recounts in the latest issue of her and her husband's magazine, The Magnolia Journal.

In the winter issue of the magazine, the HGTV personality remembers getting an embossed Bible from her father before leaving home for a semester of college in New York City.

"This gift from my dad was his way of telling me, 'You've got this,'" she said in the "Notes From Jo" column. "And I believed him."

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During her time in the city, Gaines grew very attached to the gift.

"I carried that Bible with me, in my bag, everywhere," she said. "Truly, I must have read that note a hundred times during those days."

Even after returning home to Texas, she was nervous lending the Bible to a friend leaving for a mission trip to Boston.

"It had become one of my most valued possessions. I turned to it whenever I was feeling anxious or needed to be comforted," she said. But in the end, "I, of course, lent it to her."

Tragically, Gaines' friend lost the Bible on her trip.

"I was devastated," she said. "Soon after, I bought an identical Bible and even had my dad write a similar note, but it wasn't the same."

Happy Father's Day Dad. I remember when I was in second grade, I got in an argument with my friend about whose dad was stronger. I also told my friends that if you ever had the chance to play against Larry Bird in basketball, you would smoke him. Your hair perm back in the day made you look bigger and badder too. 😉 You not only displayed Strength that made your three daughters feel secure, you also showed us a Grace that made us feel loved no matter what. Thank you for always being there Dad ❤️

A post shared by Joanna Stevens Gaines (@joannagaines) on Jun 18, 2017 at 10:26am PDT

Many years later, she and her husband ran into an old acquaintance who had lived in Boston for a while.

"We were briefly catching up when he asked, 'This may be an awkward question, but what does your dad call you?'" she said.

When she told him "Jojo," the acquaintance smiled and said, "You're not going to believe this."

Somehow, the man had been mentoring someone who had come across Gaines' Bible and was "touched by the handwritten note."

Since that meeting, Gaines has had her Bible returned to her. She carries it with her everywhere.

"The fact that my dad's letter, left behind hundreds of miles away found its way back to me continues to leave me awestruck," she said. "I choose not to question or analyze it."

The full story appears in the Gaines' Magnolia Journal.