Recently I received a gift, it was the book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.  It is a beautiful and inspirational tale about kindness, love, empathy, strength, and friendship.  The messages written around whimsical drawings, remind us what is important in life.

Here are a few of the lessons:

From the Boy:

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole. “‘Kind’” said the boy.

From the Mole:

“What do you think is the biggest waste of time” asked the boy. “‘Comparing yourself to others,’ said the mole.’”

From the Horse:

“‘What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?’ asked the boy. ‘Help.’ said the horse.  ‘When have you been at your strongest?’  asked the boy.  ‘When I have dared to show my weakness.’ ‘Asking for help isn’t giving up,’ said the horse ‘It’s refusing to give up.’”

And then there was the somewhat silent fox:

“We all need a reason to keep going” said the horse.  ‘What is yours?’ ‘You three’ said the fox.”

It only took me a few minutes to read through the beautiful book, but what I took away from it will last a lifetime. Messages of kindness, friendship, empathy, perseverance, love, and lastly recognizing what we may believe to be weaknesses are really strengths fill each page.  This week at the New York Military Academy was difficult for some, change always is. But with healing and understanding, we will be stronger.  Life is not easy but “one of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things” the mole reminded me and if we follow the words of wisdom of the Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse together we will keep going as friends.

-Christine C. McDonald