By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette
In a recent newsletter, I read that May is Older Americans’ Month. Established in 1963 by President Kennedy, Senior Citizens’ Month was established to acknowledge the contributions of older adults to society and to address issues relevant to aging. Recently, the month has been renamed to the kinder, gentler, more politically correct Older Americans’ Month.
Having never realized that such a month even existed, I began to ponder at what age one is considered an Older American. I reflected on all the times I recalled feeling particularly old. I was 25 when I was first called “ma’am” by a high school boy putting groceries in my car. On my 30th birthday, one of my co-workers brought his class of students into my classroom so they could see what “old looked like.” At 39, my older son asked if I remembered seeing dinosaurs when I was a little girl. When I was 42, one of my students expressed concern that I could “slip and break a hip” if I walked outside when it was snowy. Driving with my kids when I was 47, the younger one reached over, yanked a gray hair out of my head, and muttered something about not realizing there were so many other gray hairs. On my 50th birthday, I got my first mailing from AARP inviting me to buy a membership to their fine organization.
Interestingly, it turns out that aging and feeling old are not synonymous. Now I am 62, and I have retired from my first career. I thought I would feel old, but that is not how I describe my feelings about aging. I realize that feeling old is a matter of perspective and maybe a choice.
A few years ago, something I read changed my attitude. The crux of the writing was that we should not complain about aging because growing old is a privilege that many people have been denied. Since then, I have endeavored to embrace the positives of aging and to feel grateful for each day I walk this beautiful earth.
So, for all the patrons who are embracing their age, be aware that the Mary J. Barnett Library schedules many events with you in mind. We have morning events including cribbage (Mondays at 9-11 a.m.), bridge (Wednesdays at 9-11 a.m.), and card-making club (the third Thursday of each month from 9-11 a.m.).
We have two book clubs to meet your scheduling needs. Between the Covers meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 3 p.m., while Reads Well With Others meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. The next book club is Between the Covers on May 13; they will be discussing “The Frozen River,” a historical novel with mystery and suspense.
On Saturday, May 17, author Enfys McMurry will be speaking about her Pulitzer Prize-nominated book entitled “Disaster at 39,000 Feet: How Small Town America Came Together at a Time of Crisis.” Her book chronicles May 1962, when a plane fell from the sky over the heartland of America, disrupting the peace of the little towns of Centerville, Iowa, and Unionville, Missouri. Join us Saturday at 11 a.m.
If you haven’t already signed up, registration is open online to sign up your team for the four-person best ball golf tournament sponsored by Friends of the Library. This fundraising event will be Saturday, June 14, at the Guthrie Center Golf Club, with a 9 a.m. tee time. The funds raised by the event will be used to replace and upgrade the library’s water fountain and to renew the Iowa Adventure Passes for our patrons.
MJB Library has been enlarging its large print book collection. In addition, one of the computers is equipped to meet the needs of patrons who are visually impaired. We also have a page magnifier that can be checked out.
Many of our patrons who are grandparents enjoy bringing preschool grandchildren to our weekly preschool story hour on Friday mornings at 10 a.m. This week, story hour will focus on cars.
Our library has a community puzzle that many of our patrons enjoy working on. We have cozy spaces to sit and read. Magazines and The Des Moines Register Online are available to peruse while spending an afternoon in the library.
With summer just around the corner, the MJB Library has some great summer events coming up. Be sure to sign up the kids in your life for our summer reading program during June. Level Up, our game-based Summer Reading Program theme, provides a variety of opportunities for our young patrons to read and learn.
The Guthrie STEM Lab will be happening on Wednesday, May 14, at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, at 3:30 p.m., the library will host a Creation Corner. Registration is required for both events.
Kids, stop in and look at the prizes that are available for those participating in Level Up, our summer reading program.
Iowa author Ann Hanigan Kotz shared her inspiring book, “Moonshine by Moonlight,” which delves into the fascinating world of the Iowa bootlegging industry during Prohibition. This enlightening discussion took place last week at the MJB Library.
This gorgeous, hand-embroidered quilt created by Karen Sparks, is on loan to the MJB Library during the month of May.