Oregon Trail ~by Roberto

One day my friend Ezra Meeker was on his farm in Washington, D.C. He was sitting with his ill wife, Eliza Jane; his seven year old son; and me, his good friend Samuel. I looked at his son and wife and then I noticed that they were crying. They had the saddest faces in the whole world because Ezra wanted to leave their family, friends, and home in Washington DC. They were trying to be strong and brave because Ezra believed that moving West would make their lives better. Ezra knew his wife was in danger of dying at any time. He needed money to help her heal, and he beleived going west was the only way to get it.
"It has taken 30 years to create our live here. Our crops are growing, we have friends and family here. Why do you want to leave?" Eliza Jane asked.
"California is the land of riches. The land of milk and honey!" Ezra cried. His only thought was to save his ill wife and give his son a better life. He was thinking about going West to find gold and riches.

Finally, his family agreed and they left for California. They dreamed of gold and a cure for Eliza. But they also all wanted to stop in Nebraska to stay with family for a time. They missed their family in Nebraska. His family really wanted to make Ezra stay with them in Nebraska. His father said, "Now Ezra, you know the grass isn't always greener on the other side! You have family here and we know the land. Stay with us."
But he already had bad news for them. "We are going to California. I know that California will save my wives life. If some of you want to come with me, please tell me now. We will return to Nebraska one day, after Eliza is cured and we are rich!"

After a year on the Oregon trail, the Meekers finally made it to California. Ezra sent his father a letter telling him of their arrival. While he was excited, he did admit that they were really struggled to make a living. "We left for Nebraska to search for a better living, but things were even worse there. We are coming home." In Nebraska, Eliza, Ezra and his son and Samuel all moved in with Ezra's parents. Once there, Ezra went from being a farmer to a protector of his family. Although Eliza was not cured in California, she did get stronger and stronger in Nebraska. Later Ezra told me, "My beautiful wife was cured, not by riches and gold or the sunshine of California. She was cured by the love of her family."

Ezra learned that the grass is not always greener in California! He learned that nothing - not gold or sunshine - can replace the love of family. And he learned that sometimes you have to learn these lessons for yourself along the Oregon trail.

~by Roberto