I is for Illiterate ~ by Michelle Strutzenberger

Imagine if, as you stared at this page on your computer screen, all meaning in the letters leaked away. The page had slowly mutated into a design of random dots and circles, curls and twisted stems.

Throughout my time of teaching English as a Second Language to adults, I’ve met several people who never learned to read and write in their first language. As they begin to master a new language, we also teach them how to decode letters for the very first time in their lives.

I’ll never forget Latifa, a delicate-boned Afghani woman, with kohl-lined eyes, and a soft, high-pitched voice. She came to us at the age of 60, never having read or written in her first language. Most days, she arrived in class with a faint herbal-citrus scent wisping from the sprig of basil she held in her tiny hand. After months of working with her, one day I realized she was picking out her name from among a choice of words I had printed on small slips of paper. Slowly, she scanned the dots and circles, curls, and stems. A small up-curve to her lips and glint in her eyes were all that hinted at her self-satisfaction as her finger pressed on her name again and again.

My spirit sprayed happiness that I had been able to help her discover the mystery of some of those printed dots and stems.

I don’t know why God allowed this Middle Eastern woman to be born where she was, unable to learn to read and write until she reached her 60s. I don’t understand why I received the blessing and privilege of growing up in a home and place where I was taught to decode letters as a young child.

But maybe God brought Latifa to me when He did to allow each of us to give one another a gift. I have been able to teach her to read. And she has illuminated a valuable detail about the gift of writing – that sometimes the very smallest manifestation of that gift, like the spelling out of someone’s precious name, can be just as meaningful in a person’s life as the most eloquent book in someone else’s context.

I have always leaned towards the view that God most delights in the latter types of written works – many-paged, beautiful, bestselling, “viral” on social media.

I need the reminder on occasion that He can make “masterpieces” - works that help to change people’s lives for the better – of the teeniest things.

My experience with Latifa has inspired me to wonder about the potential in other types of “mini masterpieces.” I’ve started a list of what these masterpieces might look like:

1. Story bookmarks. What if the cardboard that marks our book pages is the actual conveyor of a full, albeit very short, story?
2. Story business cards. What if we pass out our stories full and complete on small business cards?
3. Story labels. For those of us with other hobbies, such as cooking or crafting, what if we include a story on our creations? For example, a jar of our homemade jam could be shared complete with a label inscribed with our latest story.

This InScribe writer’s group is so very creative and thoughtful, I’m wondering if people might wish to share other related ideas they’ve experimented with or plan to try.

Michelle is an instructor and Braillist. She and her family enjoy hiking trails and mountains. She recently launched the series, "What Growing Up in a Mennonite Family of 10 Taught Me About Survival." To learn more, visit awakehope.ca.