We have lost way too many patrons this last year. I don’t know what to blame it on, COVID, age, “bad things happen to good people”, “no one makes it out alive”, etc. I guess it doesn’t really matter the cause, but I can still be sad and want to blame something or someone, so I chose to say that 2020 and 2021 have not been my favorite, yep, here is to 2022.
I have started bookworms similar to this one multiple times over the last few months, I think it is important for our patrons and their families to be aware how important they are to us, but sometimes the words are just too hard. Today is the day, the words have to be said, I will not be able to name everyone, but know their names have been spoken. We mourn each one lost, their obituaries are viewed, candles are lit, and lastly we pull their library cards. I will be honest; I might have a card that I have carried around for the last year, her account is deleted, but I just cannot get rid of it.
We lost a wonderful member of our community last week. Leroy Bacon has always been part of what makes up all my nostalgia and love of my hometown. He called me Stac every time I saw him and always asked about the outsider I married and brought to our town. Never was he too busy to acknowledge your presence and I cannot say that I ever saw him cross.
I don’t remember ever not knowing him. I knew him growing up, he was a part of all my softball memories and probably a church connection at some point. He worked at the same school I worked at, and I was lucky to lastly have him as a patron of the library. Seeing what people read adds a new level of intimacy and knowledge about a person. He read Louis L’Amour, which shouldn’t surprise you, if you knew him. It just added to what makes me think of “home”, you know, all those good heart and soul feelings that I just cannot pick the right word for, wistfulness, yearning, sentimentality, nope, nothing fits.
We have a large collection of L’Amour and we used to house it on the bottom row of the stacks. One day I found Leroy laying on the floor picking out books, seriously, completely laying on his side so he could easily see all the titles. I can tell you that I did not feel comfortable with him doing this, I am aware of how hard it is to get off the floor as you age. He just chuckled at me and continued this style of picking books until we moved the collection to a new shelf by the fireplace. Did you get that? He didn’t complain, he chuckled and went about doing his thing, wow, we could all be more like Leroy.
I mentioned too many, so, yep, Leroy is not the only one we are missing. In particular, I thought of Jim Miller and Charles McCulloch this week, specifically when I was purchasing new books. Catherine Coulter and Sandra Brown have new books out; Charles would have let me know before it even came up on the calendar. Jim would have been excited to know that Laurel Hamilton also has a new release. It makes me pause for a second, I forget that they are gone.
James, Joe, Earl, Lois, Judith, Ruth, Belinda, Caroline, so many, too many, we have stories for them all. You miss them and please know that so do we.
I like to imagine that Leroy is not only spending time with Bertha, but he can go visit Louis for a fresh story anytime he wishes. Heaven allows Charles and Jim to peek over the shoulders of their favorite authors, they don’t even have to wait for the book to be published. Yep, they might not be my patrons anymore, but I know their new library is taking care of them.
Upcoming Events: 7/7 Summer Reading Program at 10am, 7/10 Adult Crafts at 10:30am, STEAM at 10:30am