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The world by Mitchell Raymond

Mitchell Raymond, 14, was happiest when drawing and “building things” according to his grandmother, Ann Davey. In November 2012, he drew this portrait of all the places he wished to see someday. Copies of this drawing were handed out at his memorial service in July.
Rebecca Nappi

At my desk, taped to a wall I glance at between writing and reporting tasks, I now have hanging this drawing by Mitchell Raymond. In my Monday Boomer U story about the drawing, I explained:

In November, Mitchell showed his “Wampa” – Mike Davey – a drawing he’d made of all the places he hoped to visit in his life. He’d only been to one: the Space Needle in Seattle.

Mitchell, already a gifted artist at age 14, drowned this summer. This drawing was given out at his memorial service.

I have traveled to two-thirds of the places depicted here. But like Mitchell, I’d only been to the Space Needle in Seattle by the time I was 14. All my travel came later in my 20s and beyond.

I love this drawing. It connects me to a boy I never met and to the power of dreams and the imagination.

Thank you, Mitchell, for creating it.

(Art by Mitchell Raymond — June 9, 1999-July6, 2013.)

* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "EndNotes." Read all stories from this blog