I want to tell you

 

I need to teach myself how to spatchcock a turkey, but first: I want to tell you how wonderful Mychal Threets is.

I want to tell you that Mychal was homeschooled, and his beloved mom then became a classroom teacher; he keeps encouraging her to value her homeschooling teaching as part of her years of teaching. (And his mom introduced him to the joys of libraries when he got his first card, at 5 years old.)

I want to tell you that his beloved grandmother died, but whenever he sees a bee, no matter where it is, he welcomes that bee and knows it's his grandma, saying hello. He carries her library card with him, right in his wallet. She wasn't allowed to get a library card, as a black woman in Arkansas, but when she moved to California, she finally did.

I want to tell you Mychal is the kind of keynoter who will get out his phone and play you the new Reading Rainbow theme song and share that he hasn't met Lavar Burton... yet... but when he does, he's going to tell him just how much he admires him. (Want to watch Reading Rainbow? It's open access on Youtube! Click here!) 

I want to tell you that he is an author and that his book, I'm So Happy You're Here, is about belonging - belonging at and in the library. Mychal can't wait for librarians and teachers to read it aloud. He believes in libraries with such BIG LOVE, I know the words and illustrations are going to fill our hearts.

I want to tell you Mychal is forthright about his mental health - how he's faced the challenges of feeling so low that he wanted to take his own life and the hard, hard work of finding hope and living one day at a time.

I want to tell you that Mychal is a inspiration; also, a regular human being. 

A burst of energy, but fragile and worthy of care.

A spark that lights up the room, yet needs his own light tended to, too.

I want to tell you to get and use your own precious library card, and help other folks do the same.

Maybe that can be our magical question on Thursday: What is your favorite library memory?