Music in My Heart: My Journey with Melody

I tell Yvonne we’ll be right back and jump to my feet, grabbing the umbrella as Melody races after me out the door. At the base of the steps, the sidewalk looks empty, until I spot her about to turn the corner and cry out.

We sprint down the sidewalk, and I wonder what we’ll even say. At the sound of our footsteps, Mrs. Parks turns and sees her umbrella. She thanks us for being so kind. She’s not much taller than we are, but I feel like I’m looking up to her, the sun blinding over her shoulders. My palms sweat and my mouth goes dry, but I force myself to say something before she leaves again.

Before I lose my nerve, I blurt out that she’s my role model. She smiles warmly and says she hopes I have many, just as she does, including role models much younger than herself. She learns all the time from the young people in her neighborhood block club.

Melody excitedly says she started a Junior Block Club too, fixing up a playground and planting a vegetable garden. Mrs. Parks says that’s wonderful. Starting a block club is a lot like gardening, planting a seed and watching it grow. Melody beams with pride.

Mrs. Parks thanks us again for the umbrella, then adds, before walking away, that you’re never too young to be a role model. Anyone can lead something. Start leading, and others will follow. Then she turns the corner and is gone.

Mrs. Parks’s words bounce around my head as Melody and I walk back to the meeting hall. I tell Melody she should be proud, already a leader through her block club and garden. But then I wonder: what am I a leader of? Can I be a role model too?