If you hopped the fence and pushed your way through the thorny growth on the other side, you’d be in the parking lot of the town library. If you went through the front doors and looked to the left, you’d see the main desk. I’ve seen kind acts from each of the people who work behind that desk. Sometimes, it’s listening to someone who has no one else to talk with; occasionally, it’s coughing up a couple of quarters so someone could use the photocopier; many times, it’s just helping people find something interesting to read – or a quite place to do so.

That library is a sanctuary of sorts – a quiet, calm, warm place for anyone who needs it. No one has to buy anything to enter or to linger. Even those who don’t live next to the library are neighbors in the best sense – welcome to drop in for no reason in particular…