23rd day -- Building blocks

Helping a four-year-old learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet and to understand the sounds each one makes, I am amazed once again at the power inherent in those 26 letters. I suppose if we count upper case and lower case separately there are almost 50 different letter shapes, and if we toss in cursive shapes we'll have almost 100 shapes. But that's still comparatively few shapes to have so much power.

It is fascinating to watch the process evolve in young brains as they associate a squiggle on a piece of paper with a sound that they are supposed to make when they see that squiggle. It reminds me of the scene from The Miracle Worker when Helen Keller suddenly understands what her teacher, Annie, is doing when she makes the letters for "water" in her hand. What a powerful change it makes in a person's life when they realize the significance of words!

From this jumble of blocks carefully arranged on my living room floor could come the skills of another William Shakespeare or Ronald Reagan or Billy Graham -- powerful men who understood how to influence people with words made from 26 simple squiggles on a page. Or these blocks could be the beginning for someone who will use the power of words simply to enjoy sharing thoughts on an internet blog.