At night I read different books to our kids. We try to read classics and books that have a history of inspiring people. We like to read the book and see how they compare to the movie. There has only been one we liked the movie better, but that is for a different day. We have read stories from Chronicles of Narnia, to Pilgrims Progress (updated to contemporary language), to the Guardians of Ga'hoole.
We recently finished a little book that we were all surprised by. I must make a few confessions first.
1. I didn't want to read the book. I thought a story about a cat, mouse, and cricket would be boring and ridiculous.
2. The book got misplaced about a third of the way through. No, I did not hide it, it legitimately got lost in the Abyss we refer to as the "kids' room".
3. I was disappointing when we found it, but the kids were excited.
4. I cried at the end of the book. (No I didn't see that coming.)
This little book is "The Cricket in Time Square" by George Selden and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was published in 1960 and won a Newbery Award in 1961. It is about a cricket, Chester, who inadvertently moved to, you guessed it, Time square subway station. He gets found by a little boy, Mario, whose family own a newspaper stand. He has several adventures of going to china town to get a cricket cage, becoming a famous singer, and learning the big city. He makes two other friends, Tucker mouse and Harry cat. That is all I will say about the story.
This is a beautifully well written story of friendship. Unlikely friendships that developed and the love that grow between them. It is a story of selfless encouragement and different beauty around us. There are many valuable lessons from this story. My favorite lesson is that we are made unique. Unique gifts and talents. Unique backgrounds and experiences. Unique qualities that some times have to be learned or purposefully listened for.
If this story is not on your shelf, it should be in your lap. It is so funny and moving. There are not many stories that have touched me like this one has. Why? Well, I think for me, I was a country cricket who had spent time with wonderful people, in different places, but finally had to go home. I loved the people I was with, and the places I lived. They have made a long lasting, eternal even, impact on my life. I believe, I made an impact on other's lives where I was at. But I, like Chester Cricket, had to return home. The draw of the mountains, the smell of the rains, the love of the people all pulled me into this hollow in the mountain to use my gifts and abilities for the glory of God.
As I read about Chester and his friends, my mind flew back over the last several years. The friends that encouraged me. The people who told me they were praying for me. The lessons that I learned. The unlikely heroes I met. The friends I have left in other places. I, like Chester cricket, have a lot to be thankful for, and a lot of people who love me.
May you, like Chester Cricket, sing your song for all to hear, as only you can sing it.
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