With me.

The library was always an airtight alibi. Most of my friends used it on a weekly basis. I used it too, but it was different for me, I know it to be true, because I was actually there. I loved the library. Since the day Mrs. Bergstrom walked us single file to the one in Washington Elementary, to the Central School library, to the one at Jefferson Senior High, and the University of Minnesota.

I lived in those words. I still do. The comfort. The adventure. The knowledge. The trust. I continue to sleep with at least one book beside my bed. I like waking up to see it there, to hear it say, “She was with me.”

We moved six times before I entered high school. In all this uncertainty. One thing remained the same. The books. They never left. They never disappointed. The never hurt. They only gave. They always welcomed. What a constant comfort! Maybe it’s why I write every day, to offer out a little of what has been given to me. And I like to think of you, waking up with me, wrapped in these words. Knowing that you can say, with all certainty, as you begin your day, “She is with me.”