When is the last time you thought about Horton? 

Horton who?

This fall, Larry and I were walking along a lovely river path at the Grand Ravines in Ottawa County and saw a quotation on a park bench:

“A person’s a person no matter how small.”  ~ Dr. Seuss

Ah yes, I remembered the story: Horton, a hero, who saved the tiny people of Whoville.  I hadn’t thought about Horton and his message in a long time, but when I returned home, I found the book, Horton Hears a Who!  I reread the story and immediately knew that I must share this book with my kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and other people’s kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.

Why? Because, maybe like other individuals of all ages I have become numb and no longer hear the voices from Whoville—the voices of those who are ignored, minimized, undervalued and forgotten. Do I hear, really hear, the voices of those who are hungry, lonely, and homeless right in my own community? 

“A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

Wouldn’t it make for happier, more peaceful homes, neighborhoods, cities and country, if we really internalized this theme and then “lived it.”  

“A person’s a person, no matter how small”  . . . and I would add, “no matter how different they are from us.”

God tells us to honor all others, not just the ones who look like us, act like us, think like us. (Romans 12:9)

We honor each person by seeing them, acknowledging them, listening to them and learning from them.

I believe we can change our world by following Horton’s example.