Northeast Times

School’s out for summer:
Get to the library!

Kids Stuff
By William Feldman

Welcome to Kids Stuff. Today’s column includes a fun and educational summer idea for kids and adults and some words of wisdom about the true meaning of life.
FUN IDEAS
Through Aug. 10, you can earn prizes and win neat stuff when you get a new library card, read books and magazines, surf the Web at the library, check out DVDs, videos and CDs and enjoy great programs.
Kids:
Children, in preschool through sixth grade, sign up at your local library branch and start a reading folder. Earn stickers by reading library books, using library materials or by participating in library activities. Prizes are awarded each week to every child who has earned one or more stickers.
Teens:
Anyone going into grades seven through 12 can fill out a raffle entry form each time they read a book or magazine, listen to an audio book, read to a younger child, watch a library DVD, or surf the Web at the library. Each Free Library location will hold three prize raffles for teens. In addition to the raffles, all teens will receive prizes for their participation this summer.
Camps and other groups:
Summer groups may also join the Get a Clue @ Your Library Summer Reading game. Books, printed materials and prizes will be provided so groups can run their own programs. Library staff will make site visits with all necessary materials and present a library program, or groups can schedule an appointment at their local branch. Call 215-686-5372 and ask for Summer Reading-to-Go to schedule a visit to your site.
All Free Library branches, regional libraries, the Central Library, and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped participate in the summer reading program for kids and teens; all activities are free and open to the public. For more information, visit your local branch or call 215-686-5372.
Fun for adults, too:
Wish that you could win prizes like kids and teens for reading in the summer? Well, you can! Join them for great reads. Every participant will receive a small prize and chances to win raffle items.
You can complete a raffle entry form every time you do the following: Read a book, listen to an audiobook and read to a child. Twelve library locations will host the Summer Reading for Adults program: Blackwell Regional Library, Central Library, Fishtown Community branch, Fox Chase branch, Holmesburg branch, McPherson Square branch, Northeast Regional Library, Overbrook Park branch, Philadelphia City Institute, Roxborough branch, West Oak Lane branch and Wynnefield branch.
WORDS OF WISDOM
This was sent in by Marlyn Sabatino, a weekly reader of Kids Stuff. It leaves a profound statement about what is important in life:
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, completely filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things — your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions — and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else — the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness," he added. "Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first — the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I’m glad you asked. The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."