30 Days of Thanks - Day 14

Nov 14 - Day 14

You are doing it RIGHT now. You do it all day long, there is no avoiding it. Reading. It’s in your face constantly…a street sign, your mail, a saying on someone’s t-shirt as they walk by, a recipe, product directions, an alert or warning scrolling across the bottom of your television screen.

I went to a Literacy Connects luncheon today that was organized by Literacy Volunteers of Tucson. A room of 500 people and I’m willing to bet the majority of us in the room take the ability to read and write for granted. It never crosses my mind at all. Until today when a brave man about 50 years old got up to address the room. He struggled horribly as a kid and didn’t get help from his mom (later learned she was illiterate as well). The system failed him and he was passed on from grade to grade finally becoming so frustrated that he dropped out of high school. He worked odd jobs and somehow made his way to a decent job but was laid off after almost a decade of working there. And then he couldn’t get a job again. Everyone required a GED and this man couldn’t even read or write. After years of shame he found this organization and the compassion & help he so desperately needed. He can now read and write, is gainfully employed and sits on the board of directors for Literacy Volunteers of Tucson.

Can you even imagine? I am so thankful that I can read, write and comprehend.