by Debbie Robus

Created on: March 26, 2009

What does it mean to be literate in today's world? To answer this question, one has to ask, "What does it mean to be illiterate?"

My grandmother's dear friend Beulah is a remarkable woman. She worked long, hard hours in a factory. She reared several children and now dotes on grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She outlived two husbands and a daughter. At ninety years of age, she still drives, still lives in her own home and still mows her own yard. And Beulah is illiterate.

Beulah grew up poor, and her family struggled to put food on the table. So when she was old enough to go to work, school fell by the wayside. Beulah probably was a poor student, due to her family struggles in childhood. So even though she might have made it to the eighth grade, she was probably reading on a fifth grade level or lower, and as time progressed and her lessons were not reinforced, much of what she did learn escaped her.

So today, Buelah can read food labels, because of the pictures. She probably got her first drivers' license before a written test was required, and now, she only has to take a vision test to get the license renewed. In fact, she got a new license shortly before her ninetieth birthday. She said, "Every one of my friends called me to see if I passed." Most had a vested interest - if Buelah lost her license, they lost their chauffeur!

Most people in our community do not have a clue that Buelah cannot read. She lives in a neat, modest home, drives a nice car, and is always beautifully dressed and put together. And Beulah is by no means a dummy. This beautiful woman is smart, aware of current events, and capable. She can cook amazing meals... but she can't read a recipe. She can sew and quilt, but someone has to show her how... or her pattern has to have good illustrations. She has one of the greenest thumbs I've ever seen, and her yard is lush and garden-like.

So what is the downside, besides not being able to read a recipe or sewing/craft pattern? Beulah doesn't know the joy of reading books and periodicals. She can look at magazine pictures, but she can't read the words. She can't read the newspaper. Even worse, this Godly woman cannot read her Bible or study for a Sunday School lesson.

When Buelah's daughter died, she couldn't read the dozens of sympathy cards she received. She took them to my grandmother's house, and she sat and listened as my grandmother read each one to her, and they cried together. Buelah can't read her birthday cards, or

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