“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.” -Ecclesiastes 4:9
One of my favorite books is Where the Red Fern Grows. I first read this book when I was in the 5th grade. It is a wonderful book about a young boy, Billy Coleman, who dreams of having his own hunting dogs. Billy works and saves to buy two Redbone Coonhounds. When the two young pups arrive, Billy names them Dan and Ann. Billy and the dogs are inseparable. They spend their free time hunting. The theme of the well-loved book is relationship and adventure. The book records the many adventures in the Ozark mountains, while allowing the reader to see how powerful the love between a boy and dogs can truly be.
Where the Red Fern Grows was written by Wilson Rawls. He was born in Oklahoma in 1913. Rawls was raised at a difficult economic time in the United States and especially in Oklahoma. Like many from Oklahoma, when the Great Depression arrived, Wilson Rawls and his family moved to California in hopes of finding work. He received little formal education. He spent much of his life traveling and working odd jobs in construction. Rawls loved to write and was gifted at telling stories. However, he never studied grammar. His writings were filled with misspellings, and he never used punctuation. Rawls would write wonderful stories with his limited skills and when he was finished, he would put them in trunk. He never wanted anyone to see his work because he was embarrassed.
At the age of 45, Wilson Rawls married Sophie Styczinski. Unlike Wilson, Sophie was college educated. They had a wonderful marriage. Shortly after they were married, Wilson Rawls opened the trunk where he had collected many of his writings and decided to burn all the papers. He did not want Sophie to see the proof of his lack of education. It made him miserable to think that he had burned his work. He would later estimate that he burned at least five full novels and countless small stories about life in Oklahoma and the Ozarks. He went to Sophie and told her what he had done, and that he had a desire to be a writer. Sophie was excited to help him achieve his dream.
Wilson would begin to rewrite his stories, and as he wrote, Sophie would edit. It took just three weeks for Wilson and Sophie to write the first version of Where the Red Fern Grows. The story was first published in the Saturday Evening Post and later published as the book that would go on to sell over seven million copies and win numerous awards.
Like Wilson Rawls, we each have been given gifts and passion. Rawls wanted nothing more than to be a writer. He just needed a little help. We often have dreams to accomplish something that seems just a little out of reach. That is why God has given us one another. God gave each of us gifts, but we are better, and we can accomplish more when we work together. Sometimes we need a little help and sometimes we need to be available to help others. Wilson Rawls had many wonderful stories to share with this world. When he found support from his wife, Sophie, they were able to share with the world the wonderful adventures of a young boy from Oklahoma.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
