“In the Books”

a safe place to sink into the quiet and disappear among the stories that line the shelves

Began a new journey last week with the start of a new job at the Moneta/Smith Mountain Lake Library. I’m right back where I started before having children…living among the books. Though I miss being home every day on the farm, it’s good for me to have another focus to call my own.

Since my mama passed away three years ago, I have struggled with finding purpose again. A library has always felt like a home away from home for me; a safe place to sink into the quiet and disappear among the stories that line the shelves. The quietness of the country library mixed with moments of conversations with the patrons reminds of the simplicity I long for day to day.

Watching the faces of children light up as they check out new books never gets old. It reminds me how much I miss my own girls being little and wanting to curl up next to me with their favorite book. Reading aloud is such a treasure that somehow gets lost as we grow older. As adults, we often lose the wonder of the stories  held between the pages of a book. Maybe it’s society’s expectations of “don’t be so childish” or lack of time to enjoy the simple things in life, I happen to think it’s both.