A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT

A Word of Encouragement

In the early 19th century, a young man in
London aspired to be a writer. But everything
seemed to be against him. He had never been
able to attend school more than four years.
His father had been thrown in jail because
he couldn't pay his debts, and this young man
often knew the pangs of hunger.

Finally he got a job pasting labels on
bottles in a rat-infested warehouse, and
he slept at night in a dismal attic room
with two other boys - guttersnipes from
the slums of London. He had so little
confidence in his ability to write that
he sneaked out and mailed his first
manuscript in the dead of night so nobody
would laugh at him.

Story after story was refused. Finally
the great day came when one was accepted.
True, he wasn't paid for it, but one editor
had praised him. One editor had given him
recognition. He was so thrilled that he
wandered aimlessly around the streets with
tears rolling down his cheeks.

The praise, the recognition that he received
through getting one story in print changed
his whole life. If it hadn't been for that
encouragement, he might have spent his entire
life working in rat-infested factories.

You may have heard of that boy.
His name is Charles Dickens.