See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Thomas Edison Story.
Life Lesson #84 – Develop a Love of Learning.
Even when Eli was a small boy, he loved whittling things from wood. His father, Mr. Whitney helped him learn. Eli could whittle wooden whistles, broom handles, and even parts for his mother’s butter churn. One day a new family with a boy just about Eli’s age moved into the house just down the road. Eli’s new friend had a fancy pocket knife that Eli really liked. With a knife like that, he knew he could make just about anything!
Then something happened, and Eli had to make a decision. You see, Eli’s new friend lost his fancy pocket knife. It fell out of his pocket onto the dusty road, but later, Eli found it.
“Finders keepers.” he thought at first, but his other thoughts kept saying, “It’s not yours. It’s not yours.”
So he chose to give the knife back to his friend. He knew how important it was to do what was right.
After he gave back the knife, it wasn’t long until he had the opportunity to earn a knife just like the one his friend had.
Eli spent his entire life making things, fixing things, and even inventing new things. We remember most his invention of something called a cotton gin, a machine that separates cotton seeds from fluffy white cotton. And today, we can thank him for all the comfortable clothes we wear and other things we have made of cotton. Just imagine, that kid from long ago who was determined to make right choices, grew up to truly make a difference in our world.
– Jim Lord