A Door in the Wall

I visited some of my grandchildren this weekend and had a wonderful time.  Lots of hugs and kisses and shared experiences.

On the drive home (3 hours) I listened to an audiobook of The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli, a Newbery Award winning book which I had read more than 20 years ago.  It is the story of Robin, a young boy of noble birth who is stricken with an illness that has left his back crooked and his legs crippled (polio?).  His father, a knight, was off with the king fighting the Scots and his mother was called to wait upon the queen, who was ill.  Robin was left in the care of servants until a messenger from his godfather would arrive to take him to his castle to train as a knight.  When the messenger arrives, he finds the boy a cripple and leaves him. 

The Black Death is ravaging London and some of the servants die.  The others run away from the plague leaving Robin alone.  Robin is a prideful and spoiled boy who is, nonetheless, frightened because he cannot even get out of his bed.

A monk named Brother Luke hears of Robin and comes to rescue him.  Ever patient, he takes Robin to the hospice outside the town gates and nurses him back to health.  He tells Robin that there can be a happy future for him if he will just look for the door in the wall.  Even if it is a small door and well hidden, once Robin has found it, the door can lead him into new experiences.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book again.  I found it to be profound as I thought of the walled houses and gardens and prisons in which we sometimes find ourselves.  It seems sometimes as if all the light has gone out and we feel locked in our circumstances.  The doors with which we have been accustomed have all been shut to us.  But if we can find the small door in the wall, we can move forward in those new experiences.  Like Robin, we can grow into humble, strong, courageous warriors despite our infirmities, through the grace of a loving God who blesses us with what we need, not necessarily what we want.

Read the book.  You'll enjoy it.  And start looking for the doors in your own walls.

Text copyright November 2013, Gebara Education

 

Picture of book cover from www.mugglenet.com