Yes, generosity very often comes in the form of financial assistance - which can be beyond helpful, under the circumstances - but it isn't always a helping hand of an infusion of cash or the contribution of physical goods that has the most effect on people. It is the generosity of sharing one's time - of being there and showing up for people when they need you most - that might just be the most important generosity of all. To be made so aware that someone cares so much for you as to be there when you need them, taking time away from their own undoubtedly busy lives to make sure that you know you are cherished and cared for is a feeling unlike any other, and there is perhaps nothing more meaningful than those moments. It doesn't have to be for a traumatic reason; to know that people want to be with you when there are things to celebrate, to help you celebrate, is just as incredible. Sometimes, it can be hard to carve out a bit of time for others when the world is so full of things to do, and when there are so many things that we "need to do" for ourselves, but the impact that managing it can have - both on the recipient and the giver - is immeasurable. Showing up for someone. Being there to be a shoulder of support. To listen to them. To laugh with them. To give of one's time. That's the generosity that the world just might need a little bit more of, because then maybe we'll all remember that we are all human beings, and that we all need to be cared for once in awhile.

It's easy to lose hope in these trying times; it seems like everything on the news is something about people being horrible to each other for any number of reasons, and that there's no chance of it getting any better at any point in the near future. That feeling only multiplies when one logs into social media and the internet - when it often gets worse, because people are able to hide behind the anonymity of a computer screen and say things that they would never dream of saying to someone's face. But every once in awhile, there are glimmers of a better world, and in my position as a Customer Service & Circulation Clerk at B.F. Jones Memorial Library, I am lucky enough to see them more often than not. I see them in the patrons who come through these doors every day. I see it in the toddler attendees at storytime, who play peaceably with each other and without a second thought will throw their arms around their friends - regardless of whether or not those friends look just like them. I see it in the teenagers who come in with backpacks and clothes adorned with logos for causes near and dear to their hearts, and who are boldly, unapologetically themselves. I see it in the young adults who strive to read diverse works written by authors all across the board in order to better understand experiences beyond their own. I see it in the adults who do their level best to improve their community by getting involved in local politics and other community organizations. I see it in the way that this Library family jumps to take care of each other, both patrons and staff. I recently lost my aunt, and I received the warmest sympathy cards from both patrons and my coworkers. I see it in the way that people will step up and offer to pay for other patrons' late fines or printing fees. In the smallest acts of kindness, there is hope to be found, and not a day goes by when I don't witness something that, even for just a brief moment, renews my faith in humanity, and hope for things to get better in the future. And maybe, just maybe, that future isn't so far off as sometimes it seems to be.