I came across this essay in my oldest daughter’s literature book this evening. I don’t think I had read it before, but it really choked me up as I read it tonight. I’m not going to print the entire essay here, but I am going to record a good portion of it; especially the parts that really spoke to me.
It was written by Jesse Stuart and it is entitled, “If I Were Seventeen Again”. What he writes about is much of the very thing that we are striving to provide for our own children now, and much of what I ignored when I myself was 17 years old. Maybe that is why it speaks to me so hard:
“If I were seventeen again, I would want to live on a Kentucky hill farm. I would want to grow up and live where there are trees, meadows, and streams.
If I couldn’t live on a large farm, a few acres would do. But I would want space to hunt over, and a stream or lake nearby where I could fish. I would want to mow the meadows with a span of horses or mules, and haul the hay to the barn on a hay wagon. I believe the boy or girl who hasn’t ridden on a hay wagon has missed something in his youth. If he hasn’t smelled new-mown clover, he has missed the finest wind a youth ever breathed.
In the spring of the year, if I were seventeen again, I’d want to take long walks into the woods. I’d want to get acquainted with all kinds of birds, how they build their nests and the kind of materials they use, what color and size eggs they lay – from hoot owl to the chicken hawk and sparrow – and how and what they feed their young. I’d want to know all about the animals – foxes, possums, coons, rabbits, skunks, minks, weasels, groundhogs, and all others. I would want to know and I would find out what they ate, where they lived, what animals were friendly to each other and which were enemies. This is a world every teen-age boy should know….
I would also learn the names of wild flowers and plants that grow in the woods. I would also want to learn the kinds of trees. I’d want to learn them so that when I touched the bark on the darkest nights I could identify the tree….
In summer, if I were seventeen again, I wouldn’t miss working on a farm. I wouldn’t miss plowing and harrowing land, planting seeds in the ground and hoeing vegetables and plowing the young green corn…
I would, if I were back at seventeen, learn all I could about planting. I would want to be able, if I were cut away from all money-earning jobs or positions, to grow my food from the soil. I would want to specialize in growing one particular thing. And I’d want to specialize in growing a breed of cattle or a kind of hog, or a rabbit, or chicken….
If I were back at seventeen, I’d want to find bees watering on the hot sand by some little stream, course them to their tree, cut the tree at night, and rob the bees. I’d want a few bee stings too. A boy who has never found a wild bee tree, robbed bees, and tasted wild honey has missed a lot in life….
If I were seventeen and hadn’t already done so, I would identify myself with the church of my choice, and I would be there at least once each week…
I would be honest to the penny. If I borrowed a nickel from someone, I would pay it back. I would put myself into the rut of honesty, and I would follow through. Why build strong bodies at seventeen, bodies to stand the wear and tear of the years ahead, and stunt the great growth of our character? If I were to choose between a strong body, or strong, honest character, I’d take the latter. I’d want a reputation for honesty…
If I were seventeen again, I would earn my own money, or most of it. I would take days of work for other people. And if and when I accepted a job for the other fellow, I would do it well. I would do it so well that he would want me to work for him again. I’d do it so well, others who had seen my work would want me to work for them. I would do the work so that I would rejoice at the finished product, so I could sleep contentedly at night – because we build character through work we do with our hands. Do work well at seventeen, and you’ll be doing it well from then on.
If I were seventeen again, I would stand up for my convictions. I wouldn’t be a follower of something I didn’t believe and knew was wrong. No matter how popular the idea might be, I would hold out. I would be myself. I would be guided by what I thought was right….”
For me, seventeen (and eighteen) was the worst, most regretful time of my life! If only I could do it over again! I cared about nothing that was truly important and I risked so much. So many wonderful opportunities of life just cast aside in favor of the most destructive, corrupt, and vile behaviors!
If God had not intervened and saved my soul at age 19, I shudder to think where I would be today. Only by His grace and mercy did I even survive long enough to repent of my sins, be born again, marry a wonderful Christian woman, have an incredible Christian marriage and family, and be able to reflect back on all of it today, at age 40.
Now He desires me to live each year to it’s fullest potential for His glory. We can never go back and re-do age seventeen, but we can make the most of every moment we have today!
I will live age 40 today with the same zeal for life that I should have lived age 17 yesterday!
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3 comments
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sheryl on January 18, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I love to read Jesse Stuart books. He was such a great author. His old farm place is just about 10 mins from where I live. He wrote about a lot of people from W Hollow and Plum Grove. His books should be read by everyone. I have been reading his books to the kids. We are getting ready to read "A Ride With Huey The Engineer". The book is about the Eastern Kentucky Railroad. Then I am going to do a unit study with the kids about the railroad. Thanks for sharing with us. Enjoyed reading it. sheryl
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Schatzi on January 19, 2008 at 12:10 am
Wow..oh wow is all I can say….thank you so much for sharing.
Blessings,
Connie
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amanda on January 19, 2008 at 8:30 am
I couldn't agree more! What a great find to read!
Blessings!
amanda <><
II Corinthians 5:7
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