Words define us but love connects us and there is no greater gift than when the two become part of our journey. 

A Penny For Your Thoughts

One of the earliest memories of her grandfather includes that of walking with him to the local library. On one particular Saturday morning a shiny copper penny that someone had dropped laid at the edge of the newly paved sidewalk path that led to the library entrance. Her grandfather picked up the penny, placed it in her hand and told her that if she kept this penny forever, she would never be poor, but if she continued to develop her avid interest in books, she would become very aware of their value and would definitely become rich with knowledge - a far more important acquisition than all the pennies she could accumulate.

She remembered the many books that were always stacked neatly beside her grandfather’s favorite comfy chair, one often resting open on his lap. She had inherited his great love for books long before she could do much more than ‘read’ the pictures, and so it wasn’t long before he began taking her on Saturday morning outings to a place that was warm and welcoming - a place where she could see row upon row of books, no matter which direction she faced. Her grandfather’s eyes sparkled as he explained that they were allowed to borrow as many books from this library that they wanted to read. 

After leading her to the children’s section, he would then wander off to search for treasures of his own and she would start to look on the nearby shelves. The books with the colorful spines were the first to attract her attention and, selecting one at a time, she'd page through, reading the words quietly aloud while her mind bounced with vibrant images. There were so many stories that captured her imagination and lured her into amazing worlds where forest animals shared afternoon tea, where dragons hurled thunderbolts from magic wands, where handsome  princes, on white horses, rescued beautiful damsels in distress, and, of course, where everyone lived happily ever after.

It always seemed to her that they'd only just arrived when her grandfather would reappear from behind a shelf, cradling an armload of books, and she would have to quickly decide which books to take home - she wanted to read them all.

Many, many years later, books are still her eye in the hurricane of life . The love of reading that was instilled in her when she was just a little girl was the most priceless gift that her grandfather could have ever given to her, and she continues to treasure the gift. And no matter how the world has changed around her, the library remains a significant part of her life. In fact she was an employee - a Librarian Assistant - with the Public Library System, for fifteen years.  Where else can one go, professionally and/or personally, and be surrounded by volume after volume, on every topic imaginable, enjoying brief journey’s into worlds so different from our own? And, other than the air we breathe, not much worth having today is still free - except the knowledge gained at the local library.