I didn't have big plans for Friday morning. Just a dad in Moses Lake with a free Friday and a two-year-old who had no interest in sitting still. We have a routine on Fridays — at 10:00 when they open we usually head there and exchange our books and spend some quality time together reading, playing with the toys, doing activities, and coloring a couple pictures together. But we always get excited when the library is going to have story time. So when I saw the Moses Lake Public Library was hosting Fire Department Story Time, I was extra excited, and worst case we leave early and grab lunch at McDonald's.
We didn't leave early. But we still went to Mickey D's for lunch. Ryker loves it there — it's the only place in Moses Lake with a big indoor toy for kids to play at, and it's Ryker's favorite place to go. He doesn't have the largest vocabulary right now but it's growing every day, and you betcha he can tell me "Daddy, Big Toys!"
Ryker walked in wearing his little "In the Lord's Army" hoodie and his hat, took one look at that blue carpet full of kids, and planted himself right in the middle of it like he'd been coming here his whole life. Within ten minutes he had a junior Moses Lake firefighter badge sticker on his chest and he was not taking it off for anything.
I stood back and just watched him for a while. Watched him reach into that big pink bin of Crayola crayons and go to work on his coloring sheet. Watched him sitting cross-legged on the carpet facing the reader, completely locked in. Watched him flip through the family escape plan booklet they handed out like he was studying for something important.
He's two. He has no idea what a family escape plan is. But he was serious about it.
Here's what I keep thinking about on the drive home. Moses Lake gets a bad rap sometimes. People who've never been here or only passed through on I-90 have a certain picture in their head. But this is what Moses Lake actually looks like on a Friday morning. A room full of parents who showed up for their kids. A librarian who clearly loves what she does. A fire department that sends people out to read to toddlers. Community stuff that doesn't make the news but matters way more than what does.
I grew up here. I'm raising Ryker here. And mornings like this remind me exactly why.
The faith piece hits me too. Ryker's got "In the Lord's Army" on his back and a junior firefighter badge on his chest and he's sitting there on a Read to Succeed carpet listening to stories with a roomful of other little kids. He doesn't know yet that his dad came to faith two years ago and is still figuring out what it means to raise a son with intention and purpose. He doesn't know that I pray over him. He doesn't know any of that yet.
But I do. And mornings like this feel like an answer to those prayers. Nothing dramatic. Just a normal Friday in Moses Lake where my son got to be a kid surrounded by community and came home proud of that little firefighter sticker.
That's enough. That's more than enough.
If you're in Moses Lake and you've got little ones, the library does story time regularly. Free, fun, and your kid will walk out with something they won't take off for the rest of the day. Moses Lake Public Library · 411 W 3rd Ave.
Jason David Newton | Mechanical Technician | Maintenance Professional | Proud Christian Father | Moses Lake, WA | Community Member
