Letters Home

Jimmie Prentice had been so small when he was born that he fit into a shoebox. It was a story his parents loved to tell, especially after he reached his teens and had become a tall, thin, good looking boy who laughed a lot and loved life.

He wanted off the island in the worst way. Being bright and hard working, he breezed through his schooling at the one room schoolhouse and went on to complete grade twelve on the mainland. He had no precise idea what he was going to do except that he was determined it would not involve a fishing boat. When he finished school, he took to the road, supporting himself with parttime jobs here and there, living in rented rooms, and seeking his place in life. His letters home were filled with adventure, people he met and places he passed through. His sister read them to his parents weekly and the entire village kept up with his travels - Yarmouth, Halifax, St. Andrew's - then on to visit the other provinces. He tried his hand at logging, hotel keeping, caddying, a steel factory, even itinerant fruit picking but nothing seemed quite right. He built bridges, worked on the railroad, delivered mail, signed onto a steamer and discovered Singapore, spent time on an oil rig in the States. By the time he was 30, he had seen the world and still wasn't satisfied but he was tired of roaming. One bright summer morning, he simply stepped off the ferry at Tiverton, tanned and muscled and smiling, with everything he owned in a sleeping bag and a battered old suitcase.

There was celebration and story telling for days and when it was over, Jimmie became the school teacher in the old one room schoolhouse. He taught with the stories of his travels, using pictures of faraway lands and foreign people. He taught with road songs and memories and his letters home that his sister had saved. He taught adventure, overcoming adversity, how to be fearless and pursue a dream. He taught with a worn out copy of
"The Wizard of Oz" in one hand and "There's No Place Like Home" written on the blackboard and the children listened in awe. He taught the multiplication tables and the alphabet, reading, writing, and how to make the most of their imaginations and abilities. He taught them not to be limited, not to be afraid to try, not to be ashamed of failure. He taught them a world of possibilities was waiting and he gave them the courage to believe.

He had found his place in life, closer than he'd ever imagined. He had, the village believed, been born to it.