Little Free Graces
I’ve been intrigued by Little Free Libraries: pole-mounted boxes that look like dollhouses holding books that are free for the taking, reading and returning. They’re springing up all over the world, and the current estimate is more than 50,000 in 70 countries.
I first learned about them at the North Texas Book Festival, and then on a Sunday morning before church I was running an errand and found one in the neighborhood. This one is white with a blue roof, and the sides are decorated with colorful kid-friendly images. As is the case with all of these libraries, the door has a glass window so you can see the books inside. Below it are the words, “Take a Book, Return a Book.”
Each Little Free Library has a steward – the homeowner or neighborhood where it is located – that chooses the design, pays for the installation and also curates the contents. That means the books inside reflect the tastes and interests of the local community. The one I saw has a wide variety, from “The Poky Little Puppy” to “Jon Stewart’s America.”
The program has a web site, littlefreelibrary.org, where you can learn more about locations and stewards. As it turns out, the Little Free Library that I visited is curated by an elementary school student. She loves to read, and with the help of her grandmother, she’s sharing her passion with her friends and neighbors.
Which got me to thinking: What if we had a glass panel on our soul that revealed our interests, tastes, passions and beliefs. And what if we allowed people to reach in and experience a part of who we are – like characters in a book, only we are real?
We actually do that all the time because our words and deeds speak volumes about who we are. Like the stewards of the Little Free Libraries, we have to monitor that closely because we may tend toward bad habits or examples that can be picked up and shared with others. And, as with the library stewards, we have to be careful what people drop into us. The libraries promote sharing, and some things just really shouldn’t be shared.
But in the best situations, we offer those around us a little free glimpse of God’s love, mercy and grace, and we should welcome the sharing of that. There should be a sign below our glass window that says, “Take Some Grace, Return Some Grace.”