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By James Gardner

Clark County Public Library

Hope everyone had a happy Mother’s Day, especially the moms who are hopefully raising the next generation of library users (or just generally good people). I realize that motherhood isn’t easy; unlike many jobs, there’s no clocking out or OSHA-mandated breaks. Sometimes, the job extends beyond when most people go to bed, such as when a child wakes up with a fever or is having a terrible dream. Yet mothers persevere, mainly because they have to, and I salute you.

However, in honor of National Dog Mom’s Day, I also don’t want to forget the mothers of our furrier friends. Dog moms adopt their charges at all the stages of a dog’s life. That dog could be a precocious puppy, an energetic adolescent, or a slow-moving senior dog who’s seen some things. Dog moms may have received a dog that they either planned for or received unexpectedly (which is sometimes like human children), but they give that dog all the love and care it needs and then some.

These dog moms do not just say they love their dog. I can, after all, say that I have a full head of fiery red hair and can slam dunk on a regulation basketball hoop, but I have no hair on my head (save for a white fuzz that looks like what forms on tomatoes that need to be thrown away), and I can only slam dunk on my grandson’s Little Tikes Basketball Hoop, which is way shorter than regulation. Rather, dog moms feed their dogs good dog food, take them to the vet, give them walks and toys and scratches behind their ears. In other words, dog moms demonstrate their love through what my wife calls a love language.

My wife was the one who made me aware of love languages (she often is the one who makes me aware of things involving feelings). Love languages are simply ways that demonstrate your love for someone. Not just reserved for holidays, these love languages can be anything from hugs and kisses to doing acts of service for them. In a relationship, it involves making dinner or helping out around the house. If someone you love is hurting, it’s being there for them, listening to what’s making them upset, and offering whatever will make them feel better.

Hopefully, dog moms who celebrate National Dog Mom’s Day get the love they deserve, but I also hope that people out there get the love they deserve, not just declarations of love but demonstrations of that love. Everyone deserves love, the furry and the not furry.

Just like you deserve to love yourself by attending a library program:

• On Tuesday, May 14, at 6 p.m., Ron Kibbey’s Comedy Classics presents a classic screwball comedy set in the midst of the Depression. An upper class party game brings socialite Irene Bullock (Carole Lombard) to the city dump where she meets Godfrey (William Powell), a derelict, and ends up hiring him as the family butler. He soon learns that the Bullock family is as nutty as the proverbial fruitcake. Preceded by a cartoon. Popcorn and snacks provided.

• On Wednesday, May 15, at 2 p.m., the Kentucky Picture Show presents a 2009 biographical film starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange. The lives of Edith Bouvier Beale (Lange) and her daughter Edith (Barrymore), aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Rated PG. Popcorn and snacks provided.

• On Thursday, May 16, at 4 p.m., Join Clark County Extension Senior Nutrition Education Program Assistant Sandy Kennedy for Meal Hacks and More 2024. Watch as Sandy cooks through the 2024 NEP calendar. Learn meal prep tips and tricks while tasting a new recipe each month. Meetings will be held the 3rd Thursday of every month through August. This program is for the whole family! Space is limited; please call the library at 744-5661 or visit the library to register.

• On Thursday, May 16, at 6 p.m., the library will be having its monthly meeting of Write Out There! This writing group welcomes writers of all kinds to get some awesome writing prompts to get you started and we can also do workshops where other writers can share their work and get feedback. Bring anything you’re working on, or just bring paper, pencil, or laptop to do some writing and have some fun. Contact James Gardner for more information at jgardner@clarkbooks.org