I have spent three days this week in the amazing CyFair school district, and will spend five more days next week. I am so grateful for the warm welcome and thoughtful preparation each of the eight librarians has extended me. (Special thanks to my darling buddy, Kelley Book, who is my hostess for the visit!) Let me quickly hit some highlights:

Wednesday, librarian Gina Moss picked me up and spirited me to Bob and Bobbie (two Bobbies!) Warner Elementary school.

Look at the stack of books I signed!

What a great visit! Such sweet kids who asked thoughtful questions. It was a wonderful way to kick off my time in Houston.

Thursday found me in the capable hands of Angie Arnett, at Swenke Elementary, where they have all these tremendous programs, including Watch Dogs (Dads come spend the day at school) and BackPack Buddies, where pups like Kira come in to listen to students read aloud.

In addition to speaking to ALL the 5th graders (thank you, Swenke teachers, for giving your heart, soul and valuable time to fully participate in my talk), I had lunch with the charming and chatty school council representatives.

On Friday, Laura Bissey picked me up bearing a latte and whisked me to Willbern Elementary. There I spoke to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders and their attentive teachers (thank you, teachers!). In the middle of the day, I spent lunch with ten kids who’d answered a quiz to earn the privilege.

It took every fiber in my being not to scoop those ten kids into my suitcase and bring them home. My faith in the future was completely restored after my time with this terrific ten.

Today is Saturday. My buddy Barbara O’Connor (who is also speaking in CyFair schools) and I got up and got ourselves downtown to join 21,000 plus folks at the Houston Women’s March.

I will confess to having been downcast and broken hearted about the current state of political affairs. But tonight, as I write this, I am still on a high of hope. It was the best medicine possible to be with fellow concerned citizens. And when the 5 year old girl kicked off the rally by singing the National Anthem — I was in tears.

Tomorrow will be a day of rest. Then I hit the ground running Monday morning for another full week of school visits. Thank you, CyFair, for this heartwarming opportunity.