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A LESSON REMEMBERED
It’s a lesson I learned in grade school that still echoes in my mind…
A lesson on the sadness and cruelty of prejudice…
and the joys of being compassionate and kind…
A large new student entered our close-knit world
and as was our cruel and childish rule of thumb…
immediately we had a name for him…we called him Big and Dumb.
I imagine we were a little intimidated and afraid of this big new kid in school…
Why is it fear of someone different sometimes causes us to be cruel?
But once I got to know him…once I took the time to see
except for his enormous size…he was a lot like me!
Just like me he had his fears…his anxieties…his insecurities…
and just like me he liked his burgers with lots of ketchup and Swiss cheese.
He was smart and funny…we could always make each other laugh…
I helped him with English and he helped me with Math.
I was hesitant at first to to approach someone so different and unplanned…
but found acceptance and friendship easy once I took the time to understand.
It’s a lesson, if we’re lucky, we learn as children:
How our world is such a beautiful place to be…
and how what makes it beautiful…is it’s diversity.
If we’re blessed we learn from our childhood mistakes
and leave behind us once and for all…
those times we acted out of fear and ignorance…
back when our minds were much to small.
For it is these lessons learned in childhood
that contribute to the adults we will become…
helping us grow up big and smart…
instead of big and dumb.
It was a lesson I’m glad I learned early…much earlier than expected…
and I’ll always be grateful for the time when our two lives intersected.
Copyright ©
Jim Yerman
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