Everything That Shines

by David Weale &
Illustrated by Dale McNevin

November is a time for remembering, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the rest of us. My dad was a soldier in World War II and I believe he considered every day beyond that a God-given bonus. When he was battling cancer later in life that attitude helped him - that and a strong conviction that there is a spiritual connection
stronger than death. During that time of illness I shared with him Everything That Shines. I shared it for both its beautiful message and its accompanying illustrations. In the story, a little girl's grandfather uses the shine in everything from the cat's eyes and the dog's black nose to the moonlight on the snow and the stars above to lead her (Maddie) to understand that she will always see their beloved farm horse (Shekinah) whose stall is now empty. She will continue to see Shekinah in everything around her that shines. Dale McNevin emphasizes this message with her great illustrations, even the image of the empty stall - not dark and gloomy but golden as its strewn straw. (It won't escape older readers that grandfather is also preparing Maddie for his own inevitable passing.) His thought is a beautiful seed to plant in a child's mind, anyone's mind actually, and even better if it precedes a time when it is needed.
Notwithstanding its serious side, the story is a delightful tale of a little girl's life on a family farm and the loving relationship between her and a big, resourceful, gentle horse. There's so much fun in the consternation caused by Maddie being discovered soul alone in a field on Shekinah's back - the amazing explanation for how she got there is too good to divulge here but I can say it's based on the truth and happened to my daughter's school friend who is Maddie in real life!
I have sent this book to family and friends far and wide and it has been loved by all of them. Indeed, when I finished sharing the book with my father, he momentarily removed his glasses and quickly brushed a tear from his eye. Grinning sheepishly from ear to ear he quipped with heartfelt admiration, " I always wondered how David Weale could give up his day job to tell stories but if that's what he can do with a story, then I understand it now!"

P.S. Although I didn't know it then, I later realized that my father had already preselected a beautiful poem with virtually that same message to leave with us all.

ISBN:0-9698606-8-4