A young boy visited his uncle who lived in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. This was his first visit to the Rockies and at the young age of 10 he was very much impressed. He spent four weeks with his uncle and his family which included three older children, two daughters and one son who was 11 years old.
They spent many hours together riding horses and enjoying the sweet fresh air in the mountains but especially the freshness after a rainstorm.
He took hay and grain to the horses and curried them after their ride. He also learned how to put a saddle on a horse and what side of the horse to mount. They went for several long rides through the mountains, valleys and creek beds and even went fishing in the cool mountain streams.
It would storm on occasion in the mountains and light rain would fall and the smell of the mountains would fill his young lungs and make him enjoy his adventure even more.
When it was time to go back home our little friend was saddened but again excited to reunite with his family. His mother came to get him and took him home to the city again. School started a few days after he returned home.
He was in the fifth grade and assigned to Mrs. Grant’s home room and she was his teacher. She spent time getting to know each child the first day and then asked each student to write a short story about the summer vacation and bring it to class the next day.
That night the young boy struggled to write his thoughts and feelings about his summer experiences in the Rocky Mountains. It just seemed his ability to express himself with words was inadequate.
His mother talked to him about his assignment and she suggested he draw a picture to show people how he felt. His mother knew her son had difficulty reading and writing.
This was in the late 1940’s and not much was known about dyslexia. Our little student then sat down and with a large sheet of paper he began to draw the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and include his fun filled days and feelings onto the paper without words.
The next morning he took his drawing and amateur sketches to school to share with his class and teacher.
Most of the class read their papers out loud as they described various experiences, some sounding fun and others seemed a little boring and a few were just silly.
Our little friend was the last member of the class to be called upon. He took his drawing to the teacher and asked her to hold one corner of his drawing and he held the other corner as they held it up hos drawings to show the class what he had experienced that summer.
The children were all eyes and watched carefully when his teacher asked him what each figure on the drawing represented.
“What horse is this, she asked?”
“Oh that is the horse my uncle let me ride.”
Each figure, tree, animal, mountain, or building she pointed out became a question to him. He certainly knew everything he had drawn even if it was a 10 year old’s sketches.
The class was enthralled with the presentation. When he had finished, his teacher asked the class if they liked what he had done for the summer. The class began to clap and agreed he had a wonderful vacation that summer.
I believe it was Paul, in the bible, who reminded us that a distorted reflection is all we ever get from events that happened to others. History is a distorted reflection of the past but does it mean it didn’t happen?
Our little friend didn’t have a camera or wasn’t an accomplished artist, but a teacher helped him show others the truth and his experience as he lived it.
A few drawn lines on a piece of paper added reality to the story and truth. This little drawing attests to this boy’s experience and tells us his story. In time will this drawing tell the same story? Yes and it will be the same over and over again in any country or state in the world.
Every story from the past has some truth as people saw it and it will always attest to the fact it happened. Some writing may be weak and poorly written but it has a degree of reality attached.
Those who refute the truth of recorded history whether it be of nations, religions or the lives of people must remember they are the reflection of who or what people saw, heard, or experienced.
Our lives will be our reflections left for the master of time to sort through, like this loving teacher. Make sure your own life is a reflection of what you want others to see, free from the access of wrong doings … It could become very embarrassing if the scenes were full of evil and little of good deeds.
