- Positive Vibes
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- My Favorite Library
“Find the good and praise it.”
Hello again!
I hope you’re having a great week so far, and that you got to see part or all of the total solar eclipse on Monday—it was pretty spectacular!
This week is also National Library Week. I have been in libraries all over the world, from the legendary Library of Trinity College Dublin …
… to the new Library of Alexandria (Bibliotheca Alexandrina) in Egypt …
 Interior of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt |  The library is on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. |
… but my favorite library remains the one of my childhood, the one in my own hometown of Waverly, TN: the Humphreys County Public Library.
The line went out the door and down the sidewalk! I am still humbled and immeasurably grateful whenever I look at these pictures.
With Frank Craver at last March’s book signing
Where is YOUR favorite library? Do you have some good memories of it or a favorite library story? Just reply to this email to share it.
And be sure to thank a librarian this week—they are incredible people, doing incredible work!
Keep reading,
Yasmine
For New Subscribers
Here are some links to prior issues you may have missed—some of the best ones 😉 :
Why Positive Vibes? (How this newsletter got its start)
A Very Good Year (Contains many of the highlights of the journey for Walk through Fire: The Train Disaster that Changed America in the year of its release, 2023)
May the Road Rise Up to Meet You (St. Patrick’s Day 2024, with an excerpt from my upcoming novel, The View from the Cliffs)
You can find all the archived issues of Positive Vibes here. (Scroll down on that page after clicking on the link.)
What I’m Feeling Good About
And speaking of libraries … Dr. Janice Love, Founder & CEO of Pearls Perfected Institute, saw my book, Walk through Fire, in her local library in Kansas, read it (said she stayed up at night reading it because she “couldn’t put it down”), and invited me to be part of her wonderful videocast, “Asking for a Sister Friend”!
I’m also pretty happy to see my irises blooming—I look forward to this every year! I divided them last fall, and the effort has paid off; these are the most and the best blooms for me yet. They also have a lovely, light fragrance. (If you didn’t know, the purple iris is the state cultivated flower of TN. It’s one of my favorites.)
Double-bearded iris at dusk:  |  Just a few of my >30 irises starting to bloom! |
What You’re Feeling Good About
A recent subscriber to Positive Vibes, Kate Cherry, has been posting her own “Silver Linings” messages on Facebook for about 4 years now. She had this to say:
“My daily silver linings (the only thing I post on FB) are a habit I started when we first went into lockdown in early 2020. I found the process of looking out for them [silver linings] was good for me, and the occasional feedback from people that they look out for them each day (I always make them public) is uplifting, too. And I just never run out of good things in my life, no matter what else is happening. So I keep going!”
You can find Kate and her Silver Linings post on FB at: https://www.facebook.com/kate.cherry.52
Another Positive Vibes member, Patti, sent this pic and message:
“We traveled to Metropolis, Illinois, to see the total eclipse. We had a great total eclipse view! It was SUCH fun! I mailed myself a postcard from Metropolis with an eclipse stamp and the post office lady hand-canceled it with the location and date.”
(This section is where I’ll be featuring good news from readers—so please reply to this email and share some with me! It can be anything, big or small. Whatever you’re feeling good about.)
More Good News
If you like to eat eggs, this certainly counts as good news:
This is a wonderful program that I just learned about; I’d love to see it expand to more cities throughout the country:
And this is not only precious, but quite rare …
Keeping on the Sunny Side
As you learned last week in this newsletter, April is National Humor Month. Given that this is also National Library Week, I thought this was timely to share (be sure to check out the funny video at the end):
Pawsitive Vibes
You’ll remember my young Golden Retriever, Ike, from the first issue of Positive Vibes:
 |  |
Well, his breeder, Fred Ramsey, sent in this picture of Ike’s family members, including his mother, Rae, in the center of the trio:
From L to R: Ike’s sister Rae; his mother, Ruby; and his brother Dallas
Prior to working with his Goldens, Fred had many impressive Schutzhund titles under his belt with his German Shepherd Dog, Yoschy. Now, he’s sweeping the titles in scentwork and agility with his Golden Retrievers.
Got a pet pic you’d like to share? Please feel free to reply to this email!
And one more Pawsitive Vibes story, from the inimitable Forrest Sanders of NewsChannel5:
Riddle Me This
Two Positive Vibes members wrote in with the correct answer to last week’s riddle: where was I when I took this photo?
Henry wrote: “Lookout Mountain. I have visited this amazing place. Looks like you had great weather for your visit. So much to see there and get in some fun exercise walking.”
And Mary Margaret wrote: “The answer to your riddle is Rock City. I was there many years ago. Driving west to McEwen, I would pass a barn with the message to see Rock City.” She sent this photo:
Old “See Rock City” barn.
So, yes, from Rock City Gardens at the top of Lookout Mountain (on the TN-GA line at Chattanooga), you can see seven states! In fact, as one of the explainer signs there notes:
For more on the painting of the famous “See Rock City” barns:
For Your Playlist
Really, can there be any better choice for National Library Week?
Here’s the link if you’re on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6kqHFYZ0PFl60oV2NiJx0H?si=0285286a99b84b21
Last Word
Books hold most of the secrets of the world, most of the thoughts that men and women have had. And when you are reading a book, you and the author are alone together—just the two of you. A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people—people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.”
Tell a Friend!
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Fan Mail Address
How to get a signed bookplate sticker: see the intro to this post.