We're There For You

I Needed To Make A List

In the last few days, at the library…

A patron brought me a gourd.

We moved a picnic bench to a lovely location in the park behind the library between a tree and a boulder.

A patron volunteered to organize and run a Living History World War 2 encampment on the library grounds.

Almost 60 kids voted on their favorite cookie. Oreos won. Then we ate the Oreos.

One of my favorite young readers stopped by and he gave me a hug.

I balanced our year-to-date budget.

We received a large donation to be put toward a lovely pavilion we’re going to erect in the park out back.

I ordered more paper.

A young man built a fabulous front loader out of our hands-on erector set.

Finally, we set up a “I’m Thankful For” wall and kids started filling it with messages. Some of those messages were: I’m Thankful For presents, I’m Thankful For my dad. And my favorite… I’m Thankful For cheese. (Who isn’t!)

I bring this list up today, in particular today, because I wanted to feel like I was doing something - something positive for my community, something that made a difference. I’d feared that over the past few days I was losing my footing. I wanted something to matter. Even local. Even little acts. Even getting a hug or thanking a patron for a couple bucks to help us building a pavilion so we can hold story time or have a concert.

I was suddenly unable to do anything about…. well, all that other big stuff happening. But we could do something right here in this tiny, 130-year-old historic building that has lived through it all and continues to function as a place where people can come. They can come even if they don’t read a single word from a single book.

They can come because maybe they just don’t want to feel alone.

This isn’t insignificant I have to remind myself. I made the list you see above because all those things are every bit as important - right here, right in this moment.

I hope if you’re reading this, no matter if you’re a patron in my community or maybe just live nearby, or heck just find yourself in our neck of the woods and you need, well, anything, that you’ll stop by. We’re there for you. No matter what it is. Just bring some cheese.