Librarians continued from page 6 Lessons Stemmed from Shared Loss Mrs. Eddy introduced us to the world through books, and yet we knew little about her private life. One day, however, my 5th grade teacher made a sad announcement. Our librarian’s family member had died. We were invited to share our condolences as a class. I immediately began to write this special librarian a letter, expressing my sorrow for her loss. The death of her father hit me personally. I had just lost my uncle in a robbery in Washington, DC. In my letter, I told my beloved librarian that I believed that my uncle was in heaven and that I would see him again. I wanted her to believe that she would see her father again, too. Letters from all my school’s classes were gathered up and presented to our grieving librarian. Shortly after returning to school, Mrs. Eddy thanked me for my letter and told me how much she appreciated its message. She instinctively knew that I understood her loss because of my own pain. Even in her grief, she taught me that I could make a difference, even as a fifth grader. She also taught me that people appreciate it when others reach out to them in times of pain. These are lessons that have served me well throughout adulthood. Reflecting on Lifetime Gifts from Librarians I have recently heard stories of senior citizens learning to read well into their senior years. These stories move me. Thinking of these people’s months and years of lost reading time is anathema to me. I was fortunate to have had a mother, father, grandmother, and great aunt who encouraged my reading and schoolwork. I was also fortunate to have had such a dedicated school librarian. How lucky I was to have had a skilled educator to back up my family’s encouragement of literacy with her own passion and reading suggestions! I decided to look up my former school librarian, Mrs. Eddy, hoping to find that she was still living and actively engaged in our community. I hoped to visit with her and share with her the impact she had had on my life. I was heartbroken when I pulled up an obituary dated October 13th, 2011. Why had I not thought of contacting her earlier? What an interesting conversation we would have had! Why was I not given a chance to learn about her life in person? My biography will most certainly include my school librarian. As a tribute to her and other wonderful, dedicated librarians, I plan to volunteer and work to be a force to overcome illiteracy and to pass on the gift of encouragement and a passion for reading. I want to ensure the legacy of the amazing librarian who taught me so many life lessons that I still use to today. Alissa, a freelance writer, is a Virginia resident and a strong advocate for community service. Currently she volunteers for organizations that support service members and their families, and is a mentor int he area of career development to military spouses. She is also creating and developing a project designed to engage math and schience interests of junior high students Child Care + Preschool = CCLC The Child Care and Learning Center has a 37 year history of providing state licensed and national accredited high quality early childhood programs in Rappahanock. Did You Know? • The Child Care and Learning Center served 104 children from infants through 12 years of age in 2012-2013? • CCLC offers part-time preschool for 2, 3, or 5 mornings a week in addition to full time programs for all age groups? • CCLC has programs for Infants & Toddlers, Twos, Threes & Fours, PreKs and an After School Club? • CCLC has a sliding fee scale that awarded $30,816 in scholarship assistance to help 26 children in 2012-2013? • CCLC is enrolling in all programs for openings in January? FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT CCLC HAS TO OFFER YOUR CHILD! CALL 675-3237 or click rappcclc.com 2013 • Issue 6 Piedmont Family Magazine 27