Since daughter and her family had the week off and went camping last week, we watched the boys on Saturday (daughter and son-in-law's anniversary) instead of our usual Friday. The highlight of the day was when I told the boys I was going to the library to pick up books. Suddenly, everyone wanted to join me! And so we loaded up - Grandma, Grandpa, three and a half year old Jack, and sixteen month old Robby.
As we pulled in front of the library, Jack asked if he could come in and I had to tell him, "No, I won't even be going in. We are here for curbside pickup." However, after four months without any new library books, we're thrilled for curbside pickup!
Here's a lovely Nikki Giovanni poem "My First Memory (of Librarians)" that I discovered when I went in search of the link for "Knoxville, Tennessee" for last week's Poetry Friday share. Here's the final stanza . Be sure to click on the link to read the entire poem.
"The welcoming smile of my librarian
The anticipation in my heart
All those books—another world—just waiting
At my fingertips."
I look forward to the day when we can enter
libraries again, but I celebrate books in brown paper bags at tables outside
the library. I'm so grateful for libraries and their efforts to provide books and
services during the pandemic.
I realized during the pandemic how much I count on my library and how much I missed going there regularly. I was so excited when they started curbside pickup. We're now able to go into the library and that's one of few places I choose to spend my "covid points." Nikki Giovanni's poem captures so much that resonates. My first library was actually quite different in appearance thought not in spirit. It was a bookmobile!
ReplyDeleteHooray for curbside pickup! We are getting ready for delivery at my school. Thanks for the Giovanni poem.
ReplyDeleteRamona, libraries always have been special to me since I was a child. I loved reading that the boys, Grandpa, and Grandma took a library trip. A week ago, I went to the library to use the computer because of the storm. It was empty. Computers weren’t available. The books looked lonely. We don’t have curbside pickup that I know of. I have hundreds of books of my own so when I move to VA I plan on having my own little library for the girls. Thanks for your family store that prompted mine.
ReplyDeleteI love mine, too, am so grateful for the work the librarians are doing for all of us. And, I do miss going in to pick up, but browsing for just a few more! I have written about my first memory, clumping up the stairs of the bookmobile where that librarian always saved books for me! Thanks, Ramona, fun to read about the boys & all of you going for the brown bags!
ReplyDeleteHooray for curbside pickup and inter-library loan! But I do miss browsing in person.
ReplyDeleteMe too! It's why I'm relying more than ever on friend recommendations.
DeleteYes! I was so thrilled when curbside pick-up started. And now I can even go in (oh-so-briefly) and pick up my reserve books on my shelf. No browsing, but one step closer. I miss my libraries so much.
ReplyDelete