On my soapbox (again) for World Read Aloud Day. This time it's personal.

In this, the least snowy winter on record I have been reflecting on the bounty of past winters.  I love winter.  I love: skiing; sledding; building snow forts; no-holds-barred snowball fights; and, the delicious feeling of sitting in front of a fire, drinking hot chocolate, after any of these events.

I dug through my files to find a story I wrote for my daughter when she was five.  It is not really a story,but more a recounting of an experience we had.  I saved it and gave it to her on her 13th birthday.  

Will You Remember?

Will you remember the day we saw a rainbow in a cloud?

Freezing rain had followed the previous day’s snow and the cold temperatures at night had created an icy crust, a crust so hard we didn’t sink in. “Look mom!” You said.   “I can walk on top!” 

The top of the snow shone like glass.  The hill in the backyard beckoned and, sitting side by side, hands held tight, we pushed off; our snow pants and jackets, the sleds we didn’t need.  From our tangled heap at the bottom of the hill, your voice, laughing and eager, said, “Again!”

Again and again and we climbed the hill, cresting its peak only to slide back down on our backs, bottoms and stomachs. 

            Finally spent, we lay on our backs, chests rising and falling with each breath. The sky was crisp, blue and nearly cloudless.  A thin, wispy cloud took shape as it moved across the sky towards us.

“It’s a person stretched out on a hot summer’s day,” you said.  “Now it’s a bird!”  Then, as the cloud passed over our neighbor’s garage, it began to change colors: greens, blues, oranges, yellows and reds.  It was a rainbow in a cloud.  “It’s magic!”  You said. 

 The cloud continued to change colors and shapes as it drifted out of sight. 

Wanting more, we looked eagerly back across the sky for another cloud.  None existed.  Reluctantly, we got up and climbed quietly back up the hill, knowing somehow that this had been a very special experience.

And I wondered, “Will you remember?”  Will you remember the day we saw the rainbow in the cloud? 

Maybe if I write a story about it.

Here's what I am thinking today, "What if she was not able to read it?"  

We all know, Literacy is Power.  Being literate gives readers access to ideas and information.   Here's where it's personal, what about the stories that are not passed down through the oral tradition? What about the written letters, notes, and histories?  Who will read those?  

Let's ensure every family is able to preserve its history.  Let's ensure everyone can read, by creating access to materials and programs that build literacy.

Join the movement.  Become part of World Read Aloud Day.

Read with someone you love on March 7th, 2012.