Today’s post, a tribute to libraries and specifically to my beloved Ballard Branch of the Seattle Public Library, was posted yesterday over at Tweetspeak.

Seven weeks ago, a seven years’ ritual ended.

Every Wednesday morning since my oldest was two, I have schlepped a child or four to the Ballard Branch of the Seattle Public Library for story time with Miss Pamela. “Story time” is a bit of a misnomer, for Miss Pamela sings with the kids and signs with them and does silly dances with them as well as reading to them.

Seven years ago, it was just Jack and (a very pregnant) me at story time. Then it was Jack and baby Jane. Then it was Jack and toddler Jane and baby twins. Wednesday mornings at the library have been a staple of my children’s childhood.

For the past year or so, though, I’ve known something was going to shift in the near future. I would look around the room and see that my two oldest no longer fit. Jack is ten now and usually escaped into the library proper to graze on his own reading fare, though he still enjoyed talking with Miss Pamela after story time was over. Jane has been the tallest child in the room for well over a year. And while the twins are the perfect age for story time, it has to work for all of us.

In September when our school schedule resumed…

 
Read the rest over at Tweetspeak Poetry.
 
 
Photo courtesy of the Build LLC blog.