Stories from the Stacks

The Monthly Liaison: December 2022

Version en español

Come In and Get Warm

If you are a dreamer, come in,

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,

A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer. . .

If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire

For we have some flax-golden tales to spin.

Come in!

Come in!

- "Invitation" by Shel Silverstein, in Where the Sidewalk Ends


The night is long, the snow is deep, the cold burrows to our bones.


Inside the Library, the fire is warm. The stories crackle and glow.


A tiny girl in a purple snowsuit, her pink face framed by a furry hood, shuffles through the stacks behind her father. A teenager home from her first semester at college finishes a final project by a window framed with icicles. A teacher on holiday shrugs off his parka, sinks into a chair by the fireplace, releases a contented sigh, and drifts into a book.


Whoever you are, come in. The fire awaits. The stories are yours. Come in and get warm.

Jenny Emery Davidson, Ph.D.
Executive Director

The Space between Snowflakes

By Kyla Merwin

Communications Manager


Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!


Days in the Wood River Valley are filled with rosy cheeks, sugar cookies, snow play, shopping, and–in the true spirit of the season–the celebration of faith. 


At The Community Library, you will find wisdom, inspiration, and tomes of great religious journeys from every faith under the sun: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Paganism, and more.  


My own bookshelves are filled with spiritual inspiration. But the type of faith that’s on my Grinch-like mind this year is the type that prompts: 


"Leap and the net will appear." 

Sometimes life might feel like walking a tightrope, but my motto has always been: "Don't look down and hang on for dear life." That is, until one fine day when I let go of the threads that wove together my expectations.


First there was nothing. A void. The space between snowflakes. The long moments after you've let go of one trapeze and are spinning out of control. 

Like anyone in a freefall might do, I panicked. Then I prayed. 


I prayed for patience. I prayed for resilience. I prayed for trust in a benevolent Universe. I prayed for the best, highest outcome for all.

“...when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ~Paulo Coelho

Along with prayer, I wove a meditation practice into my days, which–scientifically speaking–helps calm one's "fight or flight" response while it strengthens the prefrontal cortex (the command center of reason, logical thinking, and cognitive control).


Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, author, poet, and teacher, Thich Nhất Hạnh says it better in The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation:  

 

“Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”


And so I breathe. And this is how it goes. Some days are just better than others. There's no escaping that.


In the best-selling novel, The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho writes: “...when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” 


Some days my attempt to trust in a universe that conspires on my behalf fails miserably. Other days I'm in sync, living in the flow of life. The work is day-by-day, sometimes hour-by-hour, moment-by-moment. 


The Muslims say, "Trust Allah, but tie up your camel." Faith doesn't ask that I sit in a corner thinking positive thoughts until some outside force rains down prosperity, love, success, health, and a winning lottery ticket on my head. My flavor of faith asks me to invest in the process and divest of the outcome. 


Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung wrote these words, which are included in Selected Letters of C.G. Jung, 1909–1961: 


“When one is in a mess...one must do the next thing with diligence and devotion.” 


So I put one foot in front of the other with my best effort and good intentions and let the chips fall where they may. 

"...do the next thing with diligence and devotion.” ~Carl Jung

In the void, though, it's easy to wonder: Is it all for naught? Is each of us ultimately alone in this great big Universe? Are we only ever spinning out of control in a world that sometimes feels harsh and unforgiving—where cold hard gravity always wins? 


I don't think so. There is a good Buddha heart inside of me that says otherwise. If I listen, I hear a quiet voice inside that whispers: Trust, trust


So much of the Universe we occupy is ineffable. For me, the point is to keep seeking—with an open heart and eyes trained inward. Two of my favorite places to do this are:


  1. Snuggled up with an inspiring book by the fireplace at The Community Library
  2. Exploring the quiet space between snowflakes


Wherever you may be in your journey, my holiday/New Year's wish (let's call it a prayer) is that you occupy those spaces as often as possible, and find your heart filled with a deep enriching faith.

Herald from the Hemingway House

I felt immensely fortunate and grateful to have gotten to spend writing, thinking, and resting time in the beautiful Hemingway House. It was a genuinely magical time full of new ideas, new friends, and wonderful, surprise animal encounters. What a joy and a privilege to get to know the community of Ketchum. I can't wait to return.


~Martyna Majok, Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist

and 2022 Sun Valley Playwright's Resident

Recommended Titles

The snow falls, the days shorten, and the temperatures dip into the single digits. Cheeks are never rosier nor the sky ever bluer than wintertime in

the Wood River Valley! We've curated some titles to warm your chilly

nights and illuminate new ideas ... in print, digital, English, and Spanish.

All free at The Community Library.

Find these and more recommendations, across genres, here.

by Katherine May

In print, Non-fiction

818.6 MAY

by Isabel Allende

In print, large print, eaudiobook, CD, ebook

by Isabel Allende

In Spanish/print, ebook, and eaudiobook

by Lama Surya Das  

In print, Non-fiction

398.2 DAS

by Pablo Neruda

In print, Non-fiction

SPA 861.62 NER

by Dick Dorworth

New Non-fiction Foyer

796.93 DOR

Digital Titles

by Thich Nhất Hạnh

Overdrive eAudiobook

by Paulo Coelho

eBook, eaudiobook, CD,

and in print

by H.H. The Dalai Lama

Film on Kanapy

Teens/Young Adult Titles

by Nikki Tate

Juv Non-Fiction

J 394.26 TAT

by Maureen JohnsonLauren MyracleJohn Green

YA Fiction GRE

by Jay Asher

YA Fiction

YA FIC ASH

Children's Titles

by Susan Cooper

in Picture Books

J Easy COO

based on the song

in Picture Books

J Easy SMI

by Robert E. Barry

in Picture Books

J Easy BAR

Children's Titles - Spanish

by Dr. Seuss

in Juvenile Easy Spanish

J Easy Spa SEU

by Jenny Torres Sanchez

in Juvenile Easy Spanish

J Easy Spa SAN

by Serena Dei

in Juv NF Spanish

J EASY SPA GRI

THANK YOU to November Donors

Donors

Jacqueline and Peter Anderson

Anonymous (2)

Argyros Family Foundation

Mary Jane and Samuel Armacost

Claudia Aulum and Ralph Pavone

Kim Baar

Roberta and Roland Bloom

Kathleen and Hugh Blue

Debbie and Franklin Otis Booth, III

Broschofsky Galleries

Michelle Buzzoni

Alice and John Calvert

Laura and Scott Carlin

Barbara and Charles Corwin

Kate and Peter Daly

Gigi and Jim Daniels

Rae Petrovsky Devito

Jeanne P. Flowers

Cay Fortune and John Shimer

Shirley and Harry R. Hagey

Sibyl W. Hanson

Margund and John Haskell

Carol and Bert Hughes

Wendy and James Jaquet

Debbie and Jerry Johnson

Emily and Dr. Steven Karassik

Judith Kindler and Kyle Johnson

Wendy and David Kistler

Cathleen A. Leamy

Roy Lightbody

Jeanne and Tom Liston

Karen Little

Elise B. Lufkin

Ann and Gregory Lyle

Leslie and Jon Maksik

C. Joy and Thomas M. Mistele

Susan Moscrip and David Hummon

Sharon and Philip Nathans

Kathleen Nichols and Doug Holen

Harriet Parker Bass and Dr. Richard Bass

Albina and Jeffrey Parks

Carolyn and Norris Peterson

Kathleen Phelan Britt and Jim Britt

Elaine H. and Michael T. Phillips

Nancy Quaife

The Rogers Foundation

Tedde and Jim Reid

Elizabeth and Robert Reniers

Kathryn Keefer Reynolds

Lisa Riddiough

Cheryl and Vern Rollin

Janet Ross-Heiner

Anne R. Sarewitz

Mary Louise and James W. Sedin

Margaret Macdonald Stewart and Mark Stewart

Barbara and Woody Stuart

Ann and Doug Taylor

Karen and Lamar Waters

Sandra Webel

Diana Whiting and Douglas Walton

The Warrington Foundation

Lisa Williams

Dan Woodford

Barbara Young Schlosser

Tribute Gifts

Lynn and Dr. Bruce Kaplan in Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hoehn

Linda and Hans Muehlegger in Memory of Corneil Therrien

Nadia Warner in Memory of Corneil Therrien

Page Turner Society

Robyn and Todd Achilles

Big Wood Landscape

Daphne Coble and Patrick Murphy

Kathleen Diepenbrock and Kelly Weston

Claudia and John Gaeddert

Kyla Merwin

Elaine H. and Michael T. Phillips

Narda Pitkethly

Gay Weake

Anita Weissberg

Photo Above: United States Poet Laureate Rita Dove

Click here to see our Year-in-Review and download the Library's Annual Report

Did You Know You Can Also Give

Out of Your Investments?

The Community Library is supported by people who believe in the free flow of news, entertainment, and information.

 

The Library gladly accepts stock donations. Also, you might look at the benefits of making a gift from your IRA (also known as IRA Charitable Rollover Gifts). Money can be transferred directly from your IRA to a 501(c)(3) charity, such as The Library, TAX-FREE! Donors must be 70½ years of age, and a gift from an IRA helps you meet your Required Minimum Distributions.


Strategize now to save on next year’s taxes. Director of Philanthropy, Carter Hedberg, is here to assist you. 

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