~April 25, 2017
I went to bring books back and pay a fine for Mom. As I had planned many times before, I wasn't going to get any new books. I already had ten unread ones at home. But after getting my change from the librarian, I went to look for Johnathan, Anna, and Mary Ann and found them in the booksale room. I thought I'd join in and see if there were any treasures in the mix. I found five Anne of Green Gables novels. Though the first one wasn't included-it being the best, I'd enjoyed the whole series when I read it at eleven or twelve. So I picked up the stack of them and continued my perusal. I found a short title by an author I've enjoyed in the past and added it, while Johnathan located a few he liked. I spied Between Shades of Gray, a story of a Lithuanian girl sent to Siberia during World War II, and this copy had the beautiful snow-dusted eyelashes on the cover. By the time I left the room, I was holding ten volumes. But I've had a lot of practice carrying large stacks of books in my life, so I didn't mind. As my siblings continued to search the library, I noticed a LEGO display in the younger children's section. I admired the various creations featured on one of the longer book aisles. When I reached the end, I looked around and felt instantly transported to my early childhood. Browsing these same shelves for new stories. How big the library seemed back then! Full of tales to enjoy and worlds to explore! How long ago that seemed! Yet it felt so near. If I took a second, I could almost believe I was seven again; several feet shorter, searching the stacks for the perfect new adventure...
