Connections

I've taken on a new challenge which is turning out to be so rewarding.

I have begun tutoring an ESL (English as a Second Language) student. We've been working on reading, writing, speaking, and reading comprehension.

She is so bright and willing to learn, that it feels like a privilege and an honor to help her.

We have several things in common - we are both mothers, we both have wonderful husbands and families, but today I found out that she also loves horses!

My student used to ride horses when she was a girl, in Mexico, the country where she grew up.

Of course, horse people always get excited when they find out that someone else is also a horse lover, because you know that you'll have plenty to talk about and it is a bond that you share. In this case however, the connection goes deeper.

One of my very first books, published by an educational publisher - Mondo Publishing - is called THE HORSE JAR. It's about a girl named Annie, who saves every nickel, dime, and dollar that she earns in a special jar, in order to buy a horse of her own.

This book has also been translated into Spanish, with the title LA ALCANCIA DE LOS SUENOS (which loosely means The Piggybank of Dreams.)

I am so excited about this shared love of horses that I've found with my student, and next time we meet, I'll be taking her a copy of THE HORSE JAR to read. Maybe she can even help me learn to read the Spanish version of it!