So, says Rainy Day, we've all read books that have played an
important role in our lives, but, have any of those books saved our lives???
There was an interesting story in the news a day or two ago,
about a 13 year old boy, William Hickman, who went hiking with his dad and
younger brother up in the Cascades, not too far from where Rainy Day used to
live (beautiful country!). The boy got hot, and thought he'd wade in the shallows
of the river only to slip, fall, and get carried away over a 10-foot drop into
a deep pool of water just above a 295-foot waterfall! Not the place to be.
Fortunately this young man not only reads books, he
comprehends what he reads and was able to put some advice learned from the
fantasy character Bobby Pendragon of the Pendragon Adventure books by D. J.
MacHale: "go feet first, stay to the sides and kick off the rocks."
William was cold, wet, scared, and smart! He remembered, and he acted, and he
spent a terrifying time on a rock ledge, with a host of rescuers, until pulled
to safety the next morning.
William is calling his rescuers 'heroes' as well he should,
but I posit that William is, himself, a Hero for playing a huge part in saving
himself! Read the nice comment Mr. MacHale wrote on his site. Watch the video of this amazing rescue. Note, this is raw footage, and slightly under
14 minutes in length, and begins with a few stills to set up the actual scene.
This is a great story, with a happy ending. And books played
a huge role in that ending. Books and a young man's bravery under very adverse
conditions. Of course, there were many other unmentioned heroes – the teachers
who taught him to read and comprehend what he read and the parents who
encouraged him in his reading. Not to mention the publishers who made the books
available. And why is Rainy Day so interested? Because she writes books (as
well as blogs;-). And she writes books for the young and the young at heart.
And though she hopes none of her readers will ever face such a horrifying
situation as young Mr. Hickman did, she hopes her readers will come away from
her books having learned something that will help them live happy, productive,
and very, very long lives.
Has a book ever saved your life? Or made a profound
difference in your life? Rainy Day would love to hear about the book and the
role it played!
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