I was talking to my mom the other day. I mentioned how I got another letter/e-mail from a reader about my latest column. She said, “People don’t realize how much those letters mean to you and Jess.” It’s one of the best parts of my job.
This latest letter was from Lynne, who I believe is the Lynne from the old library we have here in town. Every time I run into her we chat for a while and it reminds me of the times growing up when my brother and I would spend hours at the library. When we were little it was a place to go to hang out, play on the computers and occasionally, actually read books. But really, it was for the computer games.
Writing about this brings back a lot of memories from those days, specifically, the “library friends” I made. Sometimes we would sit and play the same games on the two computers sitting next to each other, just hoping that no one else showed up. There was a half-hour limit, unless you were doing school work. If someone else wanted to use the computer, after a half hour, you had to give up your spot for the next kid and then sign up for the next half-hour time slot.
I remember we weren’t always the quietest. Specifically, if it were just a couple of us in there, Lynn would let us enjoy our game. We wouldn’t be yelling, but we would get a little excited and she never said a word. She let us be kids. As of late Lynne is working full-time as a grandparent and I can’t help but think she learned a thing or two watching over her “library kids.” I cherish memories like those, and I’m forever grateful for the wonderful people in our small town.
Thought for the week: A few nice words can go a lot farther than you might think.