I continued to struggle with reading, but then something magical happened. Even though the school books remained impervious to my mind, the story books opened for me and led me onto the magic path to learning.

Scene 6: Mama reads aloud and develops Karen’s imagination

In spite of the difficulty she had doing the homework she brought home from school, Karen loved stories and she loved books.

Every evening, Karen readied herself for bed by putting on her favorite lavender pajamas. This was her favorite time of day. Curled on the couch, she gazed lovingly up at her mother, anticipating the evening’s bedtime story.

As Mama read aloud, Karen’s imagination transported her into the wizardly world of make-believe. Page after delicious page, she became involved in the beloved bedtime stories as if she were living in them. The stories were magic.

After reading, Mama carried Karen to bed. She tucked her in and read a few coming attractions from the next story. Mama kissed her goodnight and turned out the light, leaving Kitten lying in bed, visualizing what she had heard. The transformative vocabulary of the bedtime stories never vanished the way schoolwork vocabulary did.

I loved the story Mama read about horses tonight. I wish I could make friends with a horse like that, a friend I could tell my feelings to and trust.

Her remembered visions tumbled into beautiful dreams, but with daybreak, the rough difficulties of life always returned.

#cerebralpalsy #dyslexia #inspirational #reading

©2020, Karen Lynn-Chlup. All rights reserved.