A Charming and Impressive Library

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting the Cambridge Narrows Regional Library. Check out the web site. www.cambridge-narrowsregionallibrary.ca I was very impressed with the facility. With a lot of hard work by volunteers and their ongoing dedication and lots of support from the community, they have taken an old building and turned it in to a vibrant part of the community. The selection of books and other resources is astounding. The programs and activities they offer are numerous . The décor is welcoming and nurtures a love of reading in all ages. I was invited to meet in the morning with a group of grade eleven students and their very enthusiastic teacher. I was happy to meet Andrew, Brandis, Devon, Carly, Kristen,Justis, Greg and Mrs. Goodin. They had read The Year Mrs. Montague Cried and I was pleased to answer their questions and receive their comments.I talked more than I should have because we ran out of time and I would have loved to have heard more from them. Thank you so much Mrs. Goodin for sharing my book with these great kids and for inviting me to meet them.I then was invited to the home of Brenda Dunsmore for lunch. Brenda has been one of the people instrumental in the existence of the library and certainly is very involved in it's vibrancy. Brenda a former colleague and fellow Kingston Peninsula resident along with her husband Bruce have chosen to spend their retirement years in Cambridge Narrows. After having visited them in their lovely lake front home I can not blame them. I am sure they are getting back as much as they are putting in to their chosen location. After a lovely lunch with Brenda ,Betty and Pat I returned to the library where I spent a wonderful afternoon with a book club of about twelve ladies. What a welcoming group these ladies were. Again I probably talked too much but we also had a lot of discussion,some laughter and the emotion that makes tears well up.Days like this are such a joy for me. They combine so many of the things I love; spending time with kids, watching excellent teachers do what they do,being surrounded by books, sharing my work, telling my stories, listening to the stories of others,selling a book or two, and making another memory in this evolving career as an author. So today as I prepare to give the rest of this day over to writing I am reminded of why sitting here day after day alone turning words and sentences in to story is rewarded not with money but with the moments just like the ones I had yesterday at the Cambridge Narrows Library.