I volunteer some Saturdays at a small local library. Being Easter weekend, this morning was the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Being located New England, it of course poured.

This may have been the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time. Me being me, I left the house without my camera. Just before we opened the doors for the hunt, we checked to make sure every child had a basket or bag. Then we asked if all the little ones were up front, or if anyone needed to be closer to the door. A little boy, as close to the door as we’d allow him to get, stuck his hand into the air and said “I’m not close enough to the eggs!”  There were about 25 kids, anywhere from 2 to5, running around the lawns and gardens searching for brightly colored plastic eggs in rain jackets and boots, dutiful parents trailing behind with umbrellas.  I stood on the porch and watched multiple pairs of pink and green and yellow rain boots disappear under the giant rhododendron bush. The eggs were found, candy was devoured and squeals of laughter and triumph drifted back into the library.  It was a lovely morning, despite the rain.

On the way home I realized that this was one of the things that drew me to librarianship in the first place. Obviously there was a love of books and a mild compulsion to organize everything, but the sense of community was a huge part of it, too.  It is within the community of a library  that I feel I can give the most, and most belong.

Happy Easter.