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Our Town, Marla and Connie

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“We all know that something is eternal. And it ain’t houses and it ain’t names, and it ain’t earth, and it ain’t even the stars....everybody knows in their bones that something is eternal, and that something has to do with human beings...There’s something way down deep that’s eternal about every human being.” –Thornton Wilder, Our Town

Late afternoons this summer, three times each week, the library basement is filled with the sounds of our local theater group, Footlights at the Falls, rehearsing for their September production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. The play is sweet and rich. Maybe I am a bit romantic, but the lines are timeless, even decades after the play was written. Loving. Aging. Dying. Grieving. Remembering the people whose lives have touched ours. Giving voice to the joy and depth of lives lived fully.

We have the privilege of seeing a lot of living come through our doors at the library. Effortlessly, there is a constant celebration of life, whether people are looking for educational materials or an engaging piece of media, or perhaps, engaging with each other. A music-filled story hour, or maybe stories shared at the desk or in the stacks, or even someone quietly being in the space. Just look at it. Every step is life.

There are those who have lived lives so fully that they remain a part of the library after they have passed. We have many times been remembered by individuals and families who have continued to look after the library after a loved one’s passing. Last July, Marla McConnell’s husband, family and friends from around the country and the world created a fund for the library to purchase new children’s and adult books. Please read about Marla here.

And just over a month ago, Connie Mosher, a long-time friend of the library, passed. Her family and friends have been creating a fund in her memory, remembering a woman full of life, wit, and intelligence.

To both of these fine women, we thank you for the joy you have brought to the lives around you. You are both missed so much, but remain in our memories.