Here we are nearing the end of the first month of the new year—a time when resolutions and the enthusiasm that led to them may be waning or have outright disappeared from daily conversations. Maybe that Mediterranean eating style doesn’t seem so easy after all? Or you couldn’t find even ten minutes for quiet meditation? Did ten thousand steps dwindle to nine thousand, then eight? Were you surprised by how quickly, and forgivably, “Dry January” became “Damp January”? Have you already lost the new journal and pretty pen below a pile of unopened mail? Don’t worry, your waning resolutions are Sedona Public Library’s specialty, and we’re always happy to turn them around.
You see, libraries, by design, don’t lose enthusiasm, we generate it. For instance, tomorrow you can listen to a local legend and true gem of a poet and potter tell her story at the Library. “Unveiling Mary Heyborne’s Journey with Clay and Quill” will be the first in our new Candid Conversation series, and we’re thrilled. This nonagenarian is delighted to answer questions about how she became a poet, a playwright, a potter, and how the red rocks and people of this gorgeous landscape and vibrant community continue to inspire her. Please join us at 2 p.m. in the Community Room for a casual conversation when Mary will tell stories, read poetry, and display some of her favorite artwork. We promise you will leave with a smile and inspiration, and you might just go home and find that journal, or pick up that paint brush, once and for all.
Libraries, again by design, provide the information and services that might help you not only begin, but complete that seemingly daunting task or goal. Take income taxes for example. While January might mean resolutions and enthusiasm, February means it’s time to gather last year’s financial information, and we all know how much fun that is. But your Library makes it easy! Beginning next month, AARP Tax Assistance is available at both libraries, free of charge as always, with trained volunteers who are happy to help you. You will walk away feeling cared for and accomplished, because that’s how the Library wants you to feel.
Poetry and tax preparation are just the beginning of what your Library offers. We’ve so many things going on that whether you want to practice Spanish, storytelling, or Tai Chi; paint with friends or borrow a ukulele; learn about longevity or raptors; play board games or grieve for your pets; watch movies, meet a group, meet a friend, catch some rays in the Commons—we’ve got you covered. And if all you need is a book on how to get started on any number of the goals you promised yourself way back on January 1, well we have those, too. There is no time like the present, there is no price lower than free, and no place better than the Library.
And for the little ones? Literacy is our goal! Whether we are teaching it through music, balance and tumbling, storytelling, or song, we want children to learn how to read early, be prepared when they begin school, and become lifelong readers. We have programs for kids in both of our library locations and at Sunset Park where literacy is an outdoor and physical experience with our amazing StoryWalk. Our successful Summer Reading Program keeps students reading through their summer break and helps them avoid the summer slide, a noted decrease in students’ skills across the country. Whether it’s cupcake wars, playing chess, or Crafternoon, we engage young minds and help them build important skills.
Alas, why is the title of this article about appreciation? Because we simply could not do all that we do to help you improve your lives without your amazing support. Once again, the Library expresses enormous gratitude to the community and 256 donors who generously donated more than $107,000 in our 2023 end-of-year campaign. This level of generosity bolsters our confidence in our work, and it makes us proud that you believe in it as strongly as we do. We’re here for you, we are grateful for you, and we are glad to help you begin, continue, or return to your resolutions.
While many donors give to organizations that literally save or extend lives, you have supported an organization that helps those organizations, as well as works to improve lives every day in numerous ways, both large and small. When even just one person’s life is improved a little bit, it reverberates throughout the community. That’s what we do, and we are grateful that you believe in us.
To support the many ways that we connect and engage our community, please make a gift at sedonalibrary.org/donate. Remember, you can always designate your gift to Sedona Public Library in the Village. We are a 501c3 private non-profit library funded in large part by the City of Sedona, Coconino County, the Friends of the Sedona Library, and people like you. We also receive a portion of your tax dollars from Yavapai County. Thank you.
As published by Red Rock News
Column for January 13, 2023
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director