Heart of Gold… It’s not easy to experience heartaches and trauma and still come out of it with a loving, golden heart. Although Randie went through a lot of rough patches, she persevered and wouldn’t hesitate to reach out and help others, if she could. During her darkest days, Randie found comfort in reading certain stories. Relatable characters helped her get through some very traumatic events in her own life. We all have our favorite poems and songs to lift our spirit when we’re feeling down. Randie believed strongly in the healthy benefits of bibliotherapy. For most of her adult life, Randie devoted her time to promoting literacy and bibliotherapy. Once again, I want to thank all of you for keeping Randie’s dream alive with your book donations to Randie’s Free Library (and to the Little Free Library at Moore Memorial Park). Two days ago, a package from Dublin, Ireland arrived for Randie’s Free Library. Inside was a nice note from Enya, along with four books. In the brief note, Enya shared how she was moved and inspired by Randie’s story that she’s seriously considering creating a free book exchange in her neighborhood, which is on the outskirts of Dublin. By the way, in this short note, Enya also shared an interesting Irish saying, ‘If God sends you down a stony path, may he give you strong shoes.’ Thanks to people like Enya and people like all of you, my grief and pain of missing Randie is eased a bit. After going through such terrible periods, Randie had every right to be angry. But, instead of being mad at the world, Randie chose love, and chose to help others. It’s comforting to know that Randie’s heart of gold is still being felt around the world. – Randolph Randy Camp
Note: Randie’s Free Library is located on East Kirkwood Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa and the Raising Readers of Story County Little Free Library (which is dedicated in Randie’s honor) is located at Moore Memorial Park in Ames, Iowa.
