Unexpected results

I was doing outreach this morning to a grandparents' support group. The point was to inform them what the library has/does and for them to inform me on what they want and need the library to be. Before it was time to do my presentation (which ended up different than how I envisioned but still good), a counselor was there to help folks talk about the issues they are having caring for their grandchildren. It brought me wham, bam, back to my social work days. One woman talked about disciplining and teaching her 7 year old grandson, who she has raised since he was 5 days old and born with fetal alcohol effect and drug addiction. He has ADHD and is failing first grade for the second time. These folks are dealing with some heavy-duty issues, and yet there was a lot of laughter in the two hour session. An amazing group of folks, and I learned more than just when is the best time to hold a storytime.

But what touched my heart the most was the closing exercise of the meeting. Everyone stood in a circle and held hands. The group leader asked that we think of an adjective to describe ourselves that begins with the same letter as the one in our first name. Then we went around the circle and said that adjective and our name. After thinking a bit, I said "Lighthearted Laura" when my turn came. Then she said that all of us are all those things, and we went around again and said just the adjectives.

Compassionate, angelic, nourishing, amazing, jovial, magical, jazzy, tender, lighthearted....

We are all those things and more.