Great Expectation

She volunteered at the library without the expectation of anything in return. Not even a smile or a thank you. Most people gave freely out of common decency. They donated books and devoted unpaid time to maintaining the collection. To live in a capitalist society was absurd when the best things in life had no price tag attached and when the truth remained that there were more than enough resources to meet everyone’s needs.

Her work was done lovingly and with care, like a surgeon. She played classical music while cataloging items at the computer. She was careful and precise. When she rose from her seat to organize the rows of shelves, her trim figure fit delicately within the aisles. She moved like the breeze changing directions with a single pivot.

Today was special. She set up a display case for the year-end holidays. She had high hopes for the diversity among the community to be reflected in the collection. She included the work of local authors. She promoted knowledge seeking and information gathering. She invited young people to congregate in the building, because it contained sacred texts and she believed reading was a form of worship. Her motto was “…be holy, because I am holy,” which appears in the Bible in Leviticus 11:44 and 1 Peter 1:16. The message reveals how humans can be godly by taking on the attributes of the divine. One thing about divinity is that it is free from need. In so many ways, she emulated God’s power with perceived omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. She had intimate knowledge of library services. She could manage every aspect of operations. She had a strong intuition that made her aware of almost all the library happenings.

Generosity was her strength. She was generous with her time and attention. She read stories to neighborhood children. She cleaned bathrooms. She made important decisions. Upon her ascension to heaven, an angel asked her occupation. She said, “I was a librarian.”

Without further question, the angel said, “Welcome in.”

Heaven will be filled with librarians. They have the heart of God. They are merciful and compassionate. Their lives are filled with service and surrender. We love them even without remembering their names. We love them, because within each one of us is a librarian, who collects facts and fiction, who tells stories, who brings harmony and not unnecessary division, who believes the imagination is a great way to focus on the revision of history, who is literary and who envisions a better world whether the future or a depiction of the sinless beginning of the world from its inception through revelation, who studies the classics, who seeks clarification, who is the backbone of a nation. In each one of us is a librarian who provides guidance, who masters the exchange of words, who takes flight on the wings of open texts. Listen to your inner librarian and journey on the path of lifelong education. It will lead to your soul’s liberation. True freedom comes with patience.

Best,

Yeru