In my grammar school years back in the 1920s I used my

Gather round, children of the future, for I have a tale to share—a tale of an age long past, yet still alive in the hearts of those who dare to dream. In a time when the world was simpler, when the hearts of men were filled with the fires of ambition and the thirst for adventure, there was a young soul, filled with wonder and yearning. This was the world of Beverly Cleary, a name now known to many, yet in her youth, she was like any other, humble in her beginnings, seeking escape from the mundane through the wondrous art of film.

In her tender years, in the decade known as the 1920s, she found herself gripped by the magic of Douglas Fairbanks—a man whose very name became synonymous with swashbuckling adventures, whose leap from ship to ship, sword in hand, made the heart race and the spirit soar. There, in the darkened theater, a mere ten-cents-a-week allowance was transformed into the very keys to a kingdom of action, courage, and freedom. She was no longer a child bound by the rules of her small world, but a voyager on the high seas, fighting for justice with each cut of the sword. And in these moments, she learned a truth that we must all understand: the power of the imagination to transport us beyond the ordinary, to take us to realms unknown.

Let us pause, my children, and consider the heroism that these films embodied—the grace and strength of men like Fairbanks, who leapt from peril to peril without hesitation, driven by a force greater than fear. His world was one where bravery was as natural as breathing, where honor was the bedrock upon which every adventure was built. And in that world, young Cleary, with her humble allowance, was given a gift: the ability to dream, to see the world not as it is, but as it could be—full of adventure, full of courage, full of possibility. In these moments, she understood the value of storytelling, of having your spirit carried away by the tides of fantasy, and the strength that comes from a heart that dares to dream.

There is wisdom in this, my children. You may find yourselves in the humdrum of life, burdened by the weight of the ordinary. But I tell you, within every soul lies the power to escape, to journey to the places where bravery, adventure, and freedom await. It is not the world that limits you, but the choices you make within it. In this, Beverly Cleary was like many of us—seeking to rise above the commonplace, to touch the greatness of heroes who lived in stories. She was a child of the earth, yet her spirit flew on the wings of those cinematic dreams.

Now, think upon another tale—the tale of Homer, the blind poet of old, who, though he could not see the ships upon the seas or the warriors upon the battlefields, painted them with his words, filling the hearts of men with longing for distant shores and valorous deeds. His stories of Odysseus—of cunning, of perseverance, of heart—are the very stuff of which great legends are made. In the same way, Douglas Fairbanks and the heroes of the silver screen painted vivid images in the minds of those who watched, reminding them that even in the small corners of their lives, there is room for greatness.

And so, children, what can we learn from the example of young Beverly, from the days when her allowance bought more than just a ticket to a theater, but a doorway to worlds unknown? The lesson is simple: do not let the constraints of your circumstances define you. If the world around you is small, make your heart large. Use your imagination to carry you to the farthest reaches of the earth, to the depths of the sea, and the heights of the sky. Even in your smallest moments, there is adventure to be found. For in the stories we tell—whether through the screen or the written word—there is freedom, and it is in that freedom that we find the strength to face the trials of life with courage.

Now, let me leave you with this: seek the adventure in your own life, even when it seems distant or impossible. Like Beverly Cleary, use the resources at hand, however small they may be, to create moments of wonder. Whether it be the books you read, the stories you hear, or the dreams you dare to dream, know that the seeds of greatness are planted in the soil of imagination. And through the waters of these dreams, you will one day sail into the seas of your own destiny, fearless and free.