The Gift My Mom Gave Me

Written by Susan Chau, Community Librarian

Being a mom is one of the hardest roles there is. It’s wonderful that once a year in May moms get to feel extra special and appreciated with flowers, phone calls and breakfast in bed.

As Mother’s Day approaches, I’m hearing heartwarming stories from customers who shared their first experiences at the library with their moms. For example, Maria’s story:

“Growing up, I never thought I was poor. My mom, divorced with four children and surviving on one income, took us to the library all the time. We took the maximum amount of books, movies and music allowed. We had everything we needed. Those were our moments together.”

While Maria’s mom is unique (as all moms are), her story is well known by librarians and many Edmontonians. Maria carried on the tradition of visiting the library when she became a mother of two.

As for my own memories of the library with my mom, I have plenty. My mom was a newcomer who didn’t even speak English when I was little, and still managed to sign us up for library cards at the children’s library. Regularly, we would ride the bus for a good half hour to go downtown to visit our favorite EPL branch. Growing up, we couldn’t afford to go to the movies or the zoo, yet we never felt like we were missing out on anything. We were entertained by the puppet shows and fascinated by the animals in the basement of the Milner Library. We hid our treasures of books and movies under our beds at home all the time.

Naturally, my childhood days with my mom making memories at EPL made a great impression on me. I’ll let you in on a little secret… It was never the building with all the amazing books that inspired me to become a librarian. It was the familiar space - the library where meaningful experiences were made for me and are shared on a daily basis.

So in honour of your mom, grandma, aunt or the one person who has played this important role in your life, make an impact and help others have the same opportunity. On Mother’s Day, read your favourite childhood book with your mom or watch your favourite childhood movie together, and don’t forget to share your library moments. Moms love the thoughtful details and reminiscing on any day, particularly on their special day. Trust me, I’m a proud mom too.

For my mom, Kien.

Susan

P.S. What gift did your mom give you? Enter to win flowers for your mom in our Mother's Day Facebook contest.