John Muir’s Search for the Family Who Saved His Life
“It is a wealthy person, indeed, who calculates riches not in gold but in friends”—Jim Stovall
In 1898 John Muir set out, in part, to fulfill a promise he had made thirty years earlier. The principal purpose of his 1898 trip to Florida was a forest inspection trip. But when he reached Cedar Key he saw how devastating the hurricane of 1896 had been. He immediately inquired as to the whereabouts of the Hodgson family.
Mrs. Hodgson had unselfishly nursed John Muir back to health when he contracted malaria. Their home and property had been destroyed by the hurricane of 1896.
John Muir was told to look for the Hodgson family in nearby Archer, Florida. In a letter to his wife he reported, “I found the good old lady who nursed me in the garden. I asked her if she knew me. She answered no, and asked my name. I said Muir. "John Muir?" she almost screamed. "My California John Muir? My California John?" I said, "Why, yes, I promised to come back and visit you in about twenty-five years, and though a little late I've come." John Muir spent a half day with Mrs. Hodgson and her family sharing with them the incredible story of what he had accomplished in the three decades since he had last seen them.
Is there someone who has played an important role in your life whom you haven’t seen or talked to in years? What story would there be to tell if you surprised that individual with a visit or a call?
John Muir didn’t need Facebook or MyLife™ to find Mrs. Hodgson. What is your excuse for not getting started today?
“I see trees of green........ red roses too
I see ’em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.
The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin’.. how do you do
They’re really sayin’......I love you.”—Louis Armstrong
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