B.W., Haverford

When I think about “my Ludington,” it is not so much a particular story that comes to mind but a feeling that comes to heart…love.

Ever since I had our son 8 years ago, the library has become “our place.” I walk through those doors and the “feeling” comes back…a mixture of excitement, warmth, hope, love and endless possibility…like chocolate or warm pajamas or a great party or the first day of camp…I can’t wait!

I can’t wait to share a smile and a warm hello with everyone at the front desk. I can’t wait to scan the picks on the shelf that I don’t have time to read, but sometimes checkout anyway. I can’t wait to have something to look up and get lost in a whole category or world I did not know about before today.

But most of all, I can’t wait to tear up the stairs after our son to the children’s department…the coziest hug of people on the Main Line gathered in one place. Gail, Roseanne and Laurent, you guys are “My Library Story” and Thomas’ too. It really is “My Gratitude Story,” for I am so, so grateful for each and every moment. I am grateful you guys welcomed me when I was a new mom and made me laugh at the BEST story hour ever! Laughter was hard to come by when sleep was scarce.

I am grateful to you guys for always finding the perfect book or answer (or both) to a pressing question and teaching Thomas to tie his shoes. I am grateful to you guys for offering wonderful advice on just about anything (recipes too) or a safe haven from blazing summer days and cold rainy afternoons. “My Library Story” is not about the building but its true heart, or hearts, who reside on the second floor. Thank you guys for being inspirations and friends, not just to me, but to countless “me’s” that you didn’t even realize needed you or thought you were so super…’cause you are.

So that is why I am always jazzed to stop at the corner of Bryn Mawr and Lancaster. You open those doors and, like opening a book, you never know but the whole trajectory of your life could, can and has changed…always for the better.

Love you, Ludington.