Closing Chapter: Saying Goodbye to the Library

Leaving my job at the library feels like closing a chapter I wasn't ready to finish. That place was never just a job to me...it was a refuge long before it ever became part of my career. As a child, the library was where I felt safe, calm, and quietly understood. It was where I could disappear into stories, find comfort in routine, and fell a sense of belonging without needing to explain myself. Walking through those same doors now as an adult, as someone who now helped create that space for others, felt deeply full circle.

Working there meant more than shelving books or helping patrons...it meant being part of something gentle and steady in a world that often isn't. It was familiar in the best way, a place where I felt grounded, capable, and connected to a version of myself that always felt at home among the pages. So leaving isn't just about quitting a job...it's about stepping away from something that held pieces of my past and present all at once.

But life doesn't always ask us what we're ready for. Moving back to Florida is the right decision for our family, even if it comes with sacrifices that still ache. I carry so much love for that library with me...the quiet corners, the smell of books, the feeling of peace it gave me as both a child and an adult. I don't want to leave, and if things were different, I wouldn't have. But sometimes love and longing exist alongside growth, and this is one of those times.

I'm also saying goodbye to the incredible people who made it feel like so much more than a workplace. My coworkers brought laughter to long days and kindness that never went unnoticed. They became familiar faces I looked forward to seeing, people who truly cared about each other and the community we served. I will miss the conversations between shelves, the teamwork, the shared love of books and the feeling of belonging they gave me. No matter where life takes me next, I will always carry gratitude for the friendships and memories created within those library walls.