On Earth Day: THE GIVER

One of Lois Lowry's classics has stubbornly positioned itself in the back of my mind for years. There are so many phrases and the mental images those phrases created that will come to mind at, seemingly, the most random of times. All day today - on Earth Day - I have been thinking of THE GIVER.

via Google Images

There are so many haunting moments from that book - when Jonas realizes exactly what weighs the Giver down so heavily, when he feels pain for the first time, and sees the brutal realities of life, when he realizes the atrocities his father mercilessly commits, and when he realizes the baby he has grown to love, Gabriel, will meet the same fate. But one seemingly subtle, but equally haunting moment has been on my mind the most today - when Jonas starts to see in color.




The beauty of the world around us is something that we definitely take for granted until we are given the opportunity to see it through the eyes of someone for whom it is all new - in this case, a very special 11 year old who previously had only seen in black and white. The first glimpse of color he sees - a glimmer of red from an apple - changes him forever.


Celebrate Earth Day today by appreciating the beauty all around, and maybe by doing something to keep it green.