The Wisdom of Innocence: Children Are Our Teachers

Facebook November 2020

When my son grew into toddlerhood, he took me on adventures. Our regular neighborhood walks turned into magnificent explorations of the world. I drove by that evergreen, hundreds of times but never really saw it until he showed me. His eyes were bright & full of wonder as he picked up it's pine cone. He held it with such care, gently feeling it's ridges & exploring it's smell, feel, & color. He asked with the amazement that only complete innocence could bring, "What's that, Mommy?!" I remembered then, a long ago lost part of me, what it was like to find beauty in such things. I hadn't realized how little I took the time to really see, acknowledge, & appreciate all the beauty that was around me, if I only paused for a minute. Together in those moments we learned new things & took one step closer to who we were meant to be.

He's 14 now and never stopped showing me things I've overlooked. He is as much a teacher and a guide to me as I am to him. I am blessed every day by his presence, his view of the world, & to watch him embark on a journey that finds its way further separated from mine. Each stepping stone a new lesson for us both