As promised today we will begin our journey back in history to look at the experiences which eventually produced Abby Sue, Where Are You?. Abby Sue is a small story with big lessons. The first lesson taught during the course of the very simple story is that your children should look for and follow the Lord’s guidance for their life. That is where we are going with this history lesson. It is a demonstration of the truth of this principle.
The origin of this book began many years ago in my own childhood. I absolutely loved to read as a child. Reading was my escape from the problems that existed in my own world. I now realize that those experiences produced empathy in me that I would later use to deal with troubled children. However, at that time, I just wanted to escape to somewhere else and I escaped into books.
I read literally every book in our small school library and even resorted to reading our encyclopedias during the summer when I didn’t have access to anything else. I started to write poems, lyrics, and even started a novel when I was in high school.
There were no guidance counselors then but I was blessed to have a home economics teacher and a principal who got me to what was then State College of Arkansas (now UCA) to take an ACT and helped me to get enrolled there with an academic scholarship. An interesting historical perspective here is that back in the late sixties and early seventies not a lot of females in rural Arkansas attended college and those that did were mostly (popular belief at the time) looking for a “Mrs.” degree and/or finished with an education degree and became a teacher.
Next time we will explore more of college life in the days of the dinosaurs!
Biblical Inspiration: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Lesson In A Nutshell: The Lord often provides help through unexpected sources. He puts people in our lives to accomplish his purpose for us.
Lesson In A Nutshell: Just as reading was my escape from an unhappy place, videogames are now more often that escape from reality for many children. Just as they learn from books, children learn from those games and on-line activities. Many times, the things they learn are not positive. An extreme example would be the games in which they develop an insensitivity to death and learn to devalue life. That’s why it is so important that you monitor what your child is exposed to virtually. It is a daunting task but one that must be done.
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