Welcome to Pet Appreciation Week (PAW), a purr-fect time to remember our pet companions who share so much with us. Celebrate by doing something special for your pets this week! A special part of this week is Honor Thy Veterinarian Day, for vets and their assistants who take such good care of those creatures, both great and small, who cannot speak and tell us "where it hurts."
    This is also National Hug Holiday Week, to honor, recognize, and express our appreciation for one another through the simple form of a hug! Huggers across the country are invited to help increase hug abundance on the planet by sharing hugs with others this week.
    Sunday is Flag Day, and everyone is asked for Pause for the Pledge at 7:00 p.m. EDT as a way for all citizens to share a patriotic moment. Sunday is also Family History Day. At family gatherings, don't forget to share the folklore, legends and myths that bind us together by having each family member relate at least one good recollection. Be sure to audio or video tape each story for future generations!

WHAT'S HAPPENING?
    Wednesday, at 10:00 and 11:00 a.m., the puppet show "Babar" will be performed courtesy of the Roswell Symphony Guild. Each performance is limited to 150 attendees, and a take home activity is included. Wednesday's 3:30 p.m. storytime features Ben Hanson of the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, who will give an interactive slide presentation of southwest creatures and habitats. Participants will make a jumping spider. Saturday morning's 10:00 storytime celebrates "Juneteenth" with African American legends and folktales. Participants will make a drinking gourd quilt.

BOOK TALK
    The library's Larry Holm provides this week's book information. Some books you don't read as books. They may be of pictures, numbers, diagrams, resources, or for reference uses. Or they may be to honor or stir valuable memories. One such book, and a very captivating one, is one presented to the Roswell Public Library by the 1941 Book club in memory of Dewey Johnson. Those who knew Mr. Johnson will not be surprised that his legacy fueled and inspired such thoughtfulness. That's also what this book is about. It's a collection of two millennia's worth of touching, moving, even agonizing thoughts.
    The collector of these thoughts, Mary Batchelor, sifted through and arranged wisdom bites from throughout time for use with specific purposes, such as travel, holidays, illness, money, marriage, and the environment. They may be fine for handy reference, but life's travels, holidays, and illnesses aren't so neat. What is neat is that 362 people who have triumphed over every kind of life's experiences - be they kings, queens, naves, slaves, mystics, or martyrs - voice their deepest prayers as one.
    The effect of the book, "The Doubleday Prayer Collection: Over 1,300 Prayers for all Occasions," inadvertently goes beyond its intended purpose of quote material for every occasion. It's hard to explain how moving it is to just sit and get playful with the book.
    For example, you can follow a thread of prayers as individuals from opposing nations agonize over suffering and the escalating hate. Then, through prayers for peace, understanding, and courage, they discover and create bridges to healing and joy. It's also inspiring to see the prayers of seemingly every nation, many denominations, politicians, mavericks, heretics, prisoners, AIDS sufferers, and ordinary people under one roof. The book has gentle prayers of children and gut-wrenching prayers from tragic events like the primary school massacre in Scotland.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: "If you're willing to face the music, then someday you might lead the band." (unknown)

JUDY ARMSTRONG, 624-7276

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