What I’m Thankful For by Christie G
Thanksgiving is a tricky time of year. Most librarians will be off Thursday and Friday, yet your library will be open Wednesday and Saturday, so if your family is further away than a traditional Thanksgiving song there is no way you’re seeing family for the holiday unless they’re coming to you. As a holiday, it means different things to different people and cultures, and traditions can run deep, as can feelings. The basic premise, however, is to be thankful, and so I thought I’d share, in what has been a spectacularly manic year, what I’m thankful for from 2012.
That Guy. That Guy is the guy that I fell for my freshman year in college, and we’ve been together ever since. I lucked out in that he gets me, he gets my passion, he supports anything and everything that I want to do, and thinks that all my ideas, no matter how strange or weird they might seem to others are worth it. He helps chaperone teen lock-ins and run library programs, he volunteers, he deals with my craziness and keeps me sane. I don’t know where I would be with out him.
Family and Friends. I am thankful for the family that supports me, including my parents and brother, parts of That Guy’s family, and the uncles that I have just gotten back in touch with after too long of an absence I am thankful for my friend/family that is always around, no matter when I need them- they are never more than a text/phone call/tweet away when I need an encouraging word, whether they’re in Chicago, New York, Oregon, Washington, or nearby in Texas.
Books. I am thankful for books and words and authors, and the many forms that books take, from MG to YA to adult, from mystery to sci fi to western to contemporary fiction. I am thankful that I adore books and that my house is full of them, and that I’ve found like-minded people who love them as much as I do.
Chocolate. I am thankful that I live in a world where chocolate exists, and that I have the means to procure it when I need it.
My Job. I am thankful for my job. I love what I do, and the position that I hold, and I know that it is extremely unique in the library world in that I get to hold a manager hat while also holding a teen and youth services hat, so while at times it can be a lot, I have the best of both worlds. I am thankful that my place of employment is supportive of my desire to be an advocate for teens, and as such I can attend ALA Midwinter and ALA Annual without taking vacation time, and be on committees and do awesome things that I hope are making a difference somehow.
And if I didn’t have this job, then I don’t think I would have this last thing to be thankful for…
This blog. I am extremely thankful for the opportunities that I have been given to sound out and sound off through TLT, and that I’ve found a heart-sister in the other bloggers here, as well as like-minded advocates who have a passion and drive for teen services like I do. I was looking for a way to express thoughts and feelings, and was given a chance to use this as a sounding board, and I think we’re doing good things.
And that’s a lot to be thankful for.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, and share what you’re thankful for in the comments below.
Filed under: Advocacy, being thankful, Thanksgiving, YA Librarian
About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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