Kids and the Circle of Life

One of my colleagues today shared on Facebook an album of photos of her dad - from very young tot through his early eighties. The pictures were in chronological order - from eager-eyed young boy, to  sophisticated looking teen, through early manhood and marriage and then on through his years as father and worker and on to his retirement years. The man he became and the boy he was were wonderful to follow in the pictures.

At the same time, colleagues shared the most amazing Times Online story of Keith Richard and his book collection. It is so huge that he thought about training in librarianship for a bit to get it organized.One quote especially touched me.. “When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is a great equaliser.”

Each day that I work with kids and see eager young faces I imagine the arc of their lives - will they be happy and hopeful; be adventurous, studious, rebellious, reflective or crazy; will their life be sweet or sad; rich in experiences or a trap from which they can't escape? And I think is there anything that I can do to make that experience while they are young just a little happier and a little better so that as they grow older they not only want to remember the library fondly but support a place that means so much to so many?  I hope I can.  I will always see the eyes of that future self with a long-lived life in the bright little peepers of the kids. And I'll keep trying to make a difference for them.

Image: 'H'Mong babygirl - mũ mèo nh�'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/75199686@N00/3048514778