Losing Library Books

I love reading – but not fiction and novels like others. I enjoy autobiographies, how-to books, books of fact. My father was an insatiable reader and had book cases of engineering and math texts and would read the newspaper daily from cover to cover beginning with the comics which he we hand over to his children. He would read at the kitchen table, in his study and in his bed. The only time I didn’t see him with a book in his hand was when he was doing yard work, sailing or hiking. He even had a book in his hand when he was fixing the car, the plumbing, the lights – then it was a how-to book. The children in my family enjoy the series books of vampires, lost loves, and mythical creatures. My husband likes mysteries, westerns and short stories from Readers’ Digest. He also collects books and videos for children and young adults to read and watch on their visits to our home in the summertime. The first book I really enjoyed reading was Cheaper By The Dozen. I have remembered that book with fondness for 60 years even following movies of it through my lifetime. First was the 1950 version with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy. The second was the 2003 & 2005 version with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt - Cheaper by the Dozen I and II. Now back to losing library books. The first ones I lost were back when I had preschoolers. I know I have paid for my share of them. That was the time pre-computer era when I was certain that I returned a number of books. They were checked in by hand using the cards in the back of the books. Early in the 80’s, upon receiving an overdue phone call, one day, I stormed off to the library. The librarian told me those books were not in and I would keep paying fines or have to pay for the book. I opted to look for the books on the shelf, so I proceeded to sit on the floor and go thru the books a dozen at a time taking them off the shelf and putting them back on again. Sure enough, after almost an hour, I found them both on the shelf without cards. Now, all books that come in and out are scanned by the computer. Millions of books each year go in and out of libraries. Even though there are still books that are lost, librarians are angels that help families who have lost family withdrawals. I’m sure there are still some books unaccounted for on the shelves or in toy boxes at home but the computer era has caught many more than they caught 3 decades ago.

Valentine's Day 2017

It was Valentine’s Day morning and I was on my way from one little town in southern Alberta to another. The morning was beautiful as I passed field after field of stubble and straw bales. Even though it is still winter here, it was 1 degree above freezing with the slight Chinook breeze brushing against the trees in the distance. There was snow in the borrow pit on each side of the road glistening in the sun. The music was softly echoing through the car with the occasional update of time. As expected, the car was running well and there were only a few cars and a farm grain truck going in either direction. Then, without warning, there was a large bang it my windshield like the sound of a shotgun during duck season. It is February and I was not expecting a sound like that even to be part of my world. It was so shocking that it made me flinch. A large boulder about 3 inches in diameter had hit the glass just on the outside of the rear view mirror attachment. The haphazard, half circle rings layered out from the center of the target and spanned a distance of about 8 inches. I have laughed as one car repair advertisement on the radio was calling something like this a smack or a kiss. We have had dents and have had rock chips and the like which maybe would have been classified as a kiss or a smack but today, this was a whopper of a jolt. What a Valentine’s Day present! As I looked for a wide section of the road, my first thought was to stop the car. As soon as I did so, I began to cry, not heavy, just a tear. Then, I called my husband to tell him what had happened. I had to share my experience with someone. We have been helping a brother and his wife who are over 70 and 85, worried about them passing and assisting them in these latter years, but I realized my own mortality was too close for comfort today. Had the rock been 12 inches more to the driver’s side, and had it gone through the window, it would have hit me in the head. So, I am just glad to be here. Every day is a miracle to be alive. Each of us has been endowed with a certain number of years on this earth. None of us knowing how many years or how we will go. We just know that we are blessed by that number. Each one of us should take advantage of every opportunity to be grateful for each new day. Counting all the things I am grateful for, I am grateful for the wonderful people and things in my life. I truly love and am grateful for my family, my extended family and my friends. I am grateful for my membership in my church and for my special church leaders. I am grateful for honest and upright political leaders and local civic and organization leaders, who serve tirelessly in our community. I am grateful for my neighborhood. Tonight as I received a dozen red roses from my dear husband and as I handed him a card and some candy, we are grateful for another day with each other to share our joys and sorrows, our good health and our aches and pains, our accomplishments and our down times. We are truly grateful for this day, Valentine’s Day, 2017.