Remember

My library is a bit like the Cheers bar. Everyone knows your name and everyone wants to pull up a chair and chat. Only the libation is different - bottled water most of the time and coffee from Katy's on Saturdays. But what I have noticed lately is the commonality with Cheers in terms of confessions. And seniors are my best customers!

Though I do have laments of children, spouses, in-laws, etc., from the general population, I'm getting wholesale mourning of memory loss. Seniors check twice, thrice, to see if I've given back their cards after a transaction - and the search leads to - "I go into a room and can't remember why I made the trip." Or "I saw this book review in Sunday's Post and wondered if you had it but I can't remember title or author - but it looked good!" Or "I misplaced my car keys, phone, ____________ (fill in the blank of the moment)."

It's all so recognizable! And perhaps that's why they come to me instead of my whippersnapper of a boss. On one of the first days at the library he said, "So how long have you been in the system?" And I said, " Since 1982"... and looking sideways at him commented, "and you're weren't born yet, right?" And he grinned and said, "Not quite." (!)

So there you have it, folks. We've been around! And that hanging out allows us to forget billions of details - from 60 years ago, last month, yesterday, 5 minutes ago. It's all good! By grace we are here- " awake, alive and alert" like my long-ago pastor used to request we stay during his sermons. We have so much big-picture living to be thankful for, we simply can't sweat the small stuff!