Weekly News | 7.17.26

For several weeks this summer, our eNews will highlight stories from our community, brief reflections on the intersection of our faith and vocation. May it be an opportunity to know someone at COTC as well as an avenue through which we might consider and engage the Lord around our particular work.

When I was a child I lived in imaginary worlds and pretend play was my work.  There were many different scenarios which had regular occurrence– mermaid in the pool, orphan child in a tree, farmer’s daughter collecting cut grass to store for the coming winter.  But the most common, interestingly, were all occupations: “teacher,” “restaurant,” and “librarian.” I now, as of January, have lived out each of the three jobs in my adult life.

I’ve loved being with and around children for as long as I can remember and most of my days have been spent with them for the last twenty-ish years, from teaching, to mothering, to now librarian.  Even when I took a break from teaching and worked at FoodHeads (restaurant!) full time for a year, I worked at an afterschool program because I sensed I could not entirely abandon this work I had for so long felt called to.

My other great love is books.  Stories, specifically. This latest vocation as librarian, if I can even truly call myself that not having my Masters in Library Science, feels like a true gift from God.  He planted that desire many, many years ago and then what feels like out of nowhere has given me this job, an invitation to keep pretending.  I chuckle at how much joy I find from checking out a book to a student, just like how I checked out books to my little sister using a computer mouse from my personal book collection.  Who knew that cataloging new books into the system could be so fun?  Although, I can't say I entirely enjoy reshelving.  But the best part– when the students physically lean closer to hear the next part of the story, collectively groan when it’s over, beg to be the one to take the book home.  To borrow from Madeline L’Engle who wrote, art is incarnational, I believe stories are art and therefore incarnational.  When I read a particularly good story, I believe that in some mysterious way, I’m giving them Jesus and little seeds of truth are being planted into their imaginations, and I pray that by God’s grace, they would know Him through it.

Blair Porter is the part-time librarian at City School and the full-time mom of three wild boys. She has been part of COTC since its beginning, serving on the original Garden team and now teaching in the Sprouts class. She loves swimming, hiking and reading with her family and friends – or alone!