My niece, Katie, is a better writer than I am.

I read  a piece of her writing that appeared in the local paper last week and it made me feel like I need to go into typewriter maintenance.  It was that good.

Here’s the thing…Katie is a freshman in high school.  Her command of the English language and her ability to turn a phrase with so much ease it slides like a Scrambler at the fair in slow motion is a joy to take in.  Though it was just a few solid paragraphs, what she offered was a portent of goodness to come.

Katie’s writing acumen is so far ahead of the ballgame compared to most youngsters her age it is amazing.  I know a thing or two about the various abilities you will see when grading…and sometimes just try to get through an essay written by a 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade student.  I have assigned and graded thousands of them in the past twenty years.

My prayer is that Katie continues to make progress.  I hope she develops a thick skin.  Sooner or later she will run into a red pen that wishes it could write like she can.  Press onward, Katie.  Take your lumps and at the end of the day…remember what a wonderful gift you have.  Your friends may not always understand why you are toting around a notebook and writing down this and that.

One day they will.  We all will.  I am looking forward to it.

Speaking the rights.

Uncle Danny Johnson