"Gabriel made a plan.
Day after day,
along the beach,
he collected driftwood.
Night after night, he worked.
He hammered, he sawed,
he painted, and he sang."
Gabriel and the cat Milou like to spend their days beside the sea. Gabriel is getting older; he loves to think about the days when he was young and spent every morning by the sea. The thing he loved most then was the lifeboat. He watched as its crew prepared every day for the work they might be asked to do when sailors were in trouble.
He so badly wanted to be with them. The crew explained that he was not old enough to be of assistance. They suggested he come back when he was older and stronger. Gabriel promised that he would. As he waited, he did his homework. He read, he rowed, he sang their shanties. He did get older and stronger, and he was bigger. Now, he was too big for the boat.
Poor Gabriel. What was he to do? It was time for a plan. Over summer and autumn, he put his plan in action. On a winter day when the fishing fleet set out to make a big catch, a storm whipped up causing a mess of trouble for the fishermen. The lifeboat headed out; they could not help. Was nothing to be done?
"But wait! Here's Gabriel!
He had built a boat.
Built for strength. Built for him!
Brave Gabriel rowed out
through thundering waves.
Strong as oak, he pulled the oars."
Gabriel's commitment to learning all he needed to know, and his mighty perseverance made him fully capable of rescuing those helpless fishermen. What bravery! What a leader! Everyone wanted to join with him now. Could they build a boat big enough for all?
Wonderful images of the Cornwall coast provide a winning backdrop for this tribute to those who risk their own lives to be of assistance to others.
No comments:
Post a Comment