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Bobby was a bright little boy of eight with tousled blond hair, freckles and completely useless blue eyes. He had been born totally blind and had never seen a hint of color or motion in his life. The doctors had a fancy, long winded name for the condition but the fact of the matter was that they had no idea what had caused the blindness or how to cure it.
It hadn't slowed Bobby down much, though. He had learned to read by the Braille method and he had a very special friend, Rex, that was his sight whenever he found himself in a strange environment.
Rex was a beautiful German Sheppard that had been trained from his first days as a puppy to be a guide dog. It was Rex that allowed Bobby the freedom to go outside and play. It was Rex that allowed Bobby the freedom to be a relatively normal little boy. It was Rex that allowed Bobby the freedom to be himself.
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One Saturday morning, Bobby got dressed and, saying good bye to his mother, left the house with Rex for a trip to the local park where the neighborhood kids all got together to play on the swings and the slide and the monkeybars.
As they approached the park, Bobby expected Rex to lead him to the grassy spot under the tree where he usually sat with his friends and talked about school and "stuff". But this morning Rex didn't lead him to the grassy spot. This particular morning, Rex led him across the lawn to another place, a place that Bobby was completely unfamiliar with. As Rex led him along, he followed until the big dog finally stopped in the shade of a large elm tree.
Bobby could tell there was a tree because of the coolness in the air and as he sat down, he could feel the morning dew on the grass. Wondering why Rex had led him to this particular spot, and at the same time intuitively sensing the presence of another person, Bobby said, "Hello. Who's there?"
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"My name is Gloria," replied the voice of another child about his same age.
"Hi Gloria, are you new here?"
"Yes, we just moved in down the street."
"My name's Bobby. I'm glad to meet you. Do you go to school?"
"Yes, I'm in third grade. What grade are you in?"
"Third," he said, trying not to make it sound like it was a big deal.
"Do you come here to the park often?" she wanted to know.
"Yes, every Saturday morning. I usually meet my buddies under the big tree by the swings, but this morning Rex brought me over here. I guess he knew you were new and needed a friend.
"That was very nice of him," she said, "I guess I do."
For the next two hours, the two children talked about the school that Gloria would be attending, "Mrs. Andersons room is best, I hope you get her," he told her. They also talked about the neighborhood, the kids that lived there and how much fun it was going to be when school let out for summer vacation. He told her about going swimming in the creek and coming to the park every day. He also told her about how much he wished he could ride a bike. More than anything he wished he could ride a bike with his pals. To be free and to feel the wind on his face and have his hair blowing all around like on a very breezy day. To feel the sensation of speed as he pedaled along as fast as he could, racing with the wind.
But, he also told her that he realized it was a dream that would never come true, he would always be completely blind.
When he was done telling her about his dream of riding a bike, he asked her what it was that she wanted to do most of all.
"I want to be a dancer, to glide and twirl and jump and spin and to be the best dancer in a world famous ballet company.
"Well, I hope you get to do that," he said, "My mom says that if you want to do something badly enough you can do it. You just need to practice and practice and practice. Just keep working and I'm sure you'll be the best dancer in the world."
"Gee, do you think so?" she asked with a slightly girlish giggle.
"Sure, you just have to have your heart set on it. It'll happen for you, my mom say's so."
"Well, I don't think so, but I'm glad I've got a friend who believes I can," she said with a newfound brightness to her voice. And as she wheeled her chair around to face him, she said, "Thanks for being my friend, Bobby. You're great."
And with that, a new friendship was born into the hearts and lives of two lonely children who would from that day forward carry the bond of knowledge that as long as you have a friend to share your dream, you can do anything, you can be anything, you can accomplish anything in the world.
Just like your mom said.
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