"I didn't realize how much it meant to have you here until now when I'll soon have to learn what it's like not to have you."

That's what Grade 6 student, Sarah Bateman, wrote in a memory book the students at Uplands Park Elementary School gave to Betty Dillabaugh last week when she retired as their school librarian.

Sarah is wise beyond her years.

Many of us...maybe even you...have at least one or two people who played a significant role our lives and yet we've never taken a moment to thank them.

I remember two teachers in particular, "Fuzzy" Burnett, my Ancient History teacher, and Ralph Thornton, one of my Physical Education teachers at Glebe Collegiate in Ottawa. Both of them have now passed away so I can't do more than mention their names here. Dr. Hans Selyea and CBC announcer, Alan McFee, are two more people that played a significant role in my life and I never thanked them either. Unfortunately, they too are now gone.

Perhaps you are luckier than I. Maybe you could still call or write those special people in your life.

Thanks to the efforts of principal, Marie Harel, the students at Uplands Park Elementary will have no such regrets when it comes to recognizing Betty Dillabaugh for her contributions to their school because each and every student wrote a note in the two inch thick memory book they presented to her last week.

Here are a few of the things they had to say:

"I'll always remember your smile. If the sun ever burnt out, your smile could take its place." Jeff Fraser.

"You've been so kind to me and I've never been able to repay you. You are the best librarian ever to come to the planet earth and beyond and you are very, very, very, very, very, very good at being your self." Adam Langelier.

"You are thoughtful and kind and you have a great sense of humor. You are also generous and organized." Jerry Sandhu.

"You were always nice to us and respectful of our feelings." Natalie Schnither. (Natalie has a very fancy, but difficult to read, signature so I hope I am spelling her name correctly)

"I will miss the way you were so helpful, how you'd made me happy when I wasn't, how you would encourage me when something seemed impossible and how you would always turn a negative into a positive." Jake Vander Putten.

"I'll always remember when you gave me a special bookmark because I did not like the ugly ones. I still use it." Kylee Ryan

"You gave children the chance to use their imagination." Larissa Kaminsky.

"You had so much patience with us. When we were misbehaving, you were always so calm." Josh Richardson

"You kept us in line without being really mean." Jamie Franzmann.

"I will miss how you would make me feel happy when I was down, the way you would help me find something, how you would encourage me when I needed help and how you would always say positive things to everyone." Dalton Newby

"You were always nice to me even when I wasn't nice back. I remember the younger grades when you read stories to us. It was my favorite thing in school." Brandan Skirarczynski.

In short, from reading through the Memory Book, I learned that the students think Betty Dillabaugh has a great sense of humour and a great smile. She also listens well and she's kind and thoughtful and, perhaps most important of all, she's really cool. Sounds like a Neighbourhood Hero to me.