This I Believe

“This I Believe,” on National Public Radio is a revival of a famed 1950’s series hosted by one of the premier journalists of his time, Edward R. Murrow.  Now, as well as then, everyday and not so everyday people, write an essay about what each values about his/her life and world. 

When the series was revived several years ago by public radio, a newspaper article about the new version caught my eye and my fancy.  I was immediately smitten.  Carefully cutting out and saving the information, it became a personal goal of mine to submit an essay.  Surely there was something from my life noteworthy enough to dare sharing in this incredibe public forum.

Each time a draft is started, I will hear one or two of the already released essays read by the writer.  Mostly everyday people, with the occasional astronaut (Dan Tani) or world famous musician (Yo-Yo Ma) thrown in, recount personal stories of courage, inspiration and hope.  After hearing another’s essay, I heave another huge sigh, go home, delete my latest draft and start anew.  Hearing essays written by people who have functional autism, started a food pantry or circled the earth makes my story sound feeble in comparison. 

Today I have new hope.  An idea has tickled the edges of my belief bin.  Maybe, just maybe, this one will meet my standard of what would be acceptable.  I’ll keep you posted–no pun intended.