We've had lovely days at the library this month - so far our faithful patrons from St. Francis Park Apartments are coming in for good books & conversation and people are stopping by to donate books. The stellar Margaret Pinard, (herself a writer and bookseller at Another Read Through on Mississippi Ave) brought boxes of books. We've also been connecting with our patrons around the corner near the parish, where they continue to live outdoors, in tents, under bridges, occasionally in a vehicle. Last week I ran into J who said he'd enjoyed Mountains Beyond Mountains (by the writer Tracy Kidder) when we checked it out to him in the summertime. This week's goal: find J and give him the copy of Strength in What Remains, another nonfiction book by Kidder. This one tells the story of an immigrant named Deo who flees civil war and genocide in Burundi and arrives in New York with $200 to his name. If stories can help us inhabit the experiences of others, it occurs to us that these times call for us to read more of the lives of those who have left their home countries and set out in search of safer places to live and raise their families. We want to say thank you to our patrons, both indoors and outside, to supporters who give books and $ and to Catholic Charities for the ongoing partnership at St. Francis. We are so grateful for our community.