A story.
This morning I spoke to the County Commissioners about doing a library membership drive for county employees in the future. I talked about the importance of the Library, the value of the Library. When it was over, an older well-put together gentlemen followed me out. He said that I don’t know him but he wanted to tell me how important the Library was to him. He went on to tell me a story that I wanted to share:
Many years ago, I was in an awful, awful place. I have been to every Library in this county. I carried my books with me from Library to Library. When I climbed out of the bottom, I donated my books back to the Library. You talk about the value of the Library and the importance of it. Most people don’t understand how important the Library is. The Library was my community. The people who worked there were my community. The staff at all the libraries. They are the shining stars. I could sit there and talk with someone who worked there about nothing, and they understood. They were the light of my life and the sunshine in those walls. Now that I am in a good place, I still go to the library. Every week. It’s the people that work there that make the Library such an important place.
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This is why we do what we do. Even when we don't know it, we make a difference.
Thank you for sharing this, Kim. Sometimes you can sense when someone just needs you to listen and give them some companionship and human kindness for a minute. In those moments, I really feel how important our organization is - all of us - we bring disparate individuals who live in the same area together and let them see and feel that they are a part of a community. It's way bigger than books, programs, and Internet access. Thank you for reminding us.
One day, at the end of very long, very busy day, a woman came to the information desk and asked if I could obtain a form for her. It was a common form that I was familiar with available on the web site of the US Immigration Service. It took me less than a minute and I told her, "It's a government form, there will be no charge for this." Her reply was almost heartbreaking to me. She said, "Thank you. You are the only one who has been kind to us today." We all need someone to be kind to us!
This is what it's all about. Kim, thank you for sharing such a beautiful touching story. Words spoken so real of how we all represent the encouragement of bringing sunshine to someone on a daily basis who otherwise may not get it anywhere else. That's what kept me going because it's the little things that counts which makes us so big. Just a good morning hello can uplift someone in ways we may not know and that's the special moment of it.