Let the Children Remind Us
WHEN A CHILD WALKS DOWN THE ROAD, A COMPANY OF ANGELS GOES BEFORE HIM PROCLAIMING, “MAKE WAY FOR THE IMAGE OF THE HOLY ONE.” -HASIDIC SAYING
One reason I love children is for the reminders.
When a child marvels at a rock, placing it carefully in his pocket to keep forever, we smile at his delight but sometimes miss the real wonder of it — a child’s capacity to embrace and respect life.
As we contend in the adult world, it is often overlooked in our busy lives that our hearts are touched daily by the LIFE that drives each child’s soul.
As we assist children with their struggles, as we face their innocence and vulnerability, as we treasure their honesty and spontaneity, we discover that the only fitting response is respect.
Because without even knowing it, they live integrity.
We each possess a certain reverence for children — not in the purest form of course. But in caring for them we appreciate their qualities, we rediscover their value and we learn humility.
Reverence is more than a deep regard for their beings, more than love, more than trust. It encircles each child we encounter with a respect for life—theirs and ours. If we didn’t believe this, we wouldn’t bother being parents.
Reverence is the willingness to accept children for who they really are.
Mumia Abu-Jamal, an African-American journalist, writes, it is the recognition that they “show us with their innocence and clarity the very face of God in human form, by which I simply mean that they mirror the greatest good we can conceive of . . . Don’t you feel that when you look into the face of a child?”
It would be good if this reverence became the cornerstone of every household.
It would be the starting point from which we could care for and refer to each child. But the truth is this — this world is a large place, capable of caring for children only as each person and each parent cares for children.
It is the respect found in our words and actions that follow children when they, eventually, leave us.
And, to be honest, our words are not always perfect, our actions are not always pure, our dedication can be divided.
We are only human.
We are only adults.
We have lost the ability to be enormously impressed with life.
…..
So, we’ll let the children remind us.
With their smiles and delights.
With their fascination and magic.
And we’ll be grateful as the reverence for life that comes with being a child is reprinted upon our souls, one reminder at a time.
…..
As nurses, it has never been more important to hear and pass on this message of authentic love and respect for our most vulnerable population. During this time of COVID, children across the globe are facing worry, anxiety, and fear.
Nurses make a difference every day!
Keep our children safe. Keep our children healthy.
