So I’m sitting here watching Idol Gives Back (as I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m an American Idol addict, big time), and feeling immensely guilty at the cush life I lead.  The library I work for is located in an idyllic, very wealthy, small country town, and despite long hours of work, I am comfortable and happy and fed and sheltered.  The images on the television right now are of sick children and adults, people living in illness and poverty, in conditions that no one should endure.  These orphaned children in Africa have so much more to worry about than the many children I see over the course of a day: not just what grades they’re getting, or the intricacies of the fifth grade social strata, but the most basic worries of surviving.  And then there are the children in New Orleans and Kentucky who seem to genuinely understand the value of reading and learning.

Am I doing enough for the world?  Am I contributing enough?  What more can I do?  Surely I could bring more to the world.  At the moment all I can think of is partnering with a library in a less privileged part of this country, but I’d like to do more.