Saying Goodbye

It never gets easier. Losing someone we love. It never gets easier. Saying goodbye. It never gets easier. Knowing we will never see someone again. It never gets easier. Wishing we had called one more time.

The eyes of a child

I have stood in awe before cascading waterfalls, gazed longlingly at the expansive night sky, laid my head in the beautiful fields and flowers of the country, and wondered at the creations of mankind. But none of this compares to the honesty and love that lies in the eyes of a child.

I believe children are the most precious posession this world holds. And therefore, also the most vulnerable. It has taken us years to destroy the environment of our planet and it will take us even longer to fix it, if we even can. But it takes only a moment, one action or word, to destroy the joy of a child. And they are our future. They are each of us.

It also takes the simplest gesture, word, or smile, to make a child happy. To set them giggling and jumping with glee. The simple pleasures of childhood are pleasures none should take for granted. Childhood is a time when we were truest to ourselves. We didn't fear what others thought and pass for something we were not. We didn't stress about what we would wear or if we got dirty. We didn't know the meaning of the word "limit" and let no one tell us that we couldn't be anything we dreamed. We lived life to its fullest and took pleasure in everything around us. We used our imaginations and we had fun!

Everyone's childhood is different. I know this to be painfully true. But for each of us, I believe there was a time when we were this child. Happy and carefree and loving life. It ended at some point. We woke to the realization of the world we live in. We lost our idealism, our hopes and our dreams. We guarded how we felt and who we were. But what could our world be if we could each remember the joy of childhood? If we could capture and nourish those hopes and dreams? If we could take joy from even the littlest of things in our lives? When I look in the eyes of my nephews and neices, I wonder. And I hope.

And I know that the power lies in me to help that child grow. To help them hold onto their childhood dreams for as long as possible and to teach them that they can pursue their passions as far as they want to go. We hear it said all the time that children are our future. But they are also our present. They are each of us. Do you remember what it was like to be a child? If you do, hold on to that and love it! And if you don't, spend some time with a child in your life and let them teach you. They will love to share their world with you.