I have heard it said that children are our most effective teachers, and I thought I understood what that meant… that they remind us to be curious and present and teach us patience.
But there’s more to it. Children do not yet know much of the history and muddle of the earth and it’s people. They can’t fathom hatred and wars, political injustices, inequality. They don’t understand manners and courtesies and little white lies. They are a gift of innocence, ours to open and be refreshed.
The most magical sound to my ears is my daughter’s laughter. When I hear it, especially the kind of hearty laughter where she just can’t stop, I think I know what pure joy is. I am stopped from whatever I am thinking and I only feel deep happiness. That she utterly abandons everything else but what she finds hilarious makes me marvel too. How far I have wandered from that purity!
Talking with her, snuggling with her, racing in the park, or putting her to bed at night… I treasure these experiences more now than ever before. I used to be annoyed, impatient, wanting to be elsewhere. But now I see the love that she is and I want to be near it. I want to tell her often how much I love her. I want to encourage her creativity and wonder and then follow along.
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