“Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.”
- Henry Ward Beecher

A lesson like no other from a young heart.

I can honestly say that I have learned more from the heart of a child than I could ever learn from a classroom.

Not just from summers in Mexico, but from being a full-time nanny, a youth group leader, a teacher aid, and simply a child lover. Every experience with a child has taught me a lesson. Every encounter with a child has changed my heart.

From crazy to wise.

You would think you’ve heard it all when a little girl tells you to ask the Ouija Board for the right answer, but that is nothing compared to some of the conversations I have had.

I have had a child tell me the true meaning of life.
Support me through troubles.
Encourage me.
Fight for me.

It’s amazing really. Just their simple thoughts, yet more complex than our own, are so powerful.
They see passed boundaries, and have no perception of a negative world.

Whether an orphan in Mexico, or a middle child in the States. An only child, or one of twelve. With only one parent, or maybe two dads. From the city, or from the desert plains.
Every child has a story to tell.

Even more important, every child has a different story to tell.
I urge you to spend some time with a child.

My experience.

I feel like the lessons learned from such young hearts are more valuable than what I’ve learned from personal experience.

Almost as if they can give me the answers to my pondering thoughts, in ways that I would never imagine.
It almost makes me laugh at how easily they can solve my problems.
At times I feel as if maybe I should have gone to them before I tried to solve it on my own.

Their eyes have yet to see the destruction.
Their hearts have yet to feel the break.
Their lives have only begun.
Yet they could probably solve world peace if we listened to them.

The lessons.

1. Life is simple. A lot more then we’ve been led on to believe.
2. Relax. When a problem arises, the best way to handle it is over a cup of hot coco.
3. Breathe. When you are surrounded by people who love you, even the greatest burden feels lighter.
4. Laugh more often. Remember to laugh. Especially at yourself.
5. Keep dreaming. Whether that dream is to be an astronaut, or to finish a marathon. Keep at it.
6. Take it easy. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Your past, your failures, your mistakes, mean nothing now. Keep moving on.
7. The power of imagination. Be a superhero, or a rocket scientist. Nothing is too far out of reach when you let go of the boundaries.
8. Find the answer. Learn to answer all inquiries. Even if it’s as silly as where do marshmallows come from, or as complex as the circle of life. Take the time to answer.
9. Play more. That’s right, leave work early and head to the park. Be a little kid again.
10. Slow down. Stop trying to grow up so quickly. Even at the age of forty you should still feel young and even childlike at times.
11. Love endlessly. There should be no bounds in the way you love.

I can not stress the last one enough. If there is anything I have learned from a child it is love. In fact, I have learned that from every child.

A child loves so easily, so freely.
Their simplest form of love tends to be greater than what we have to offer back.

Their hearts overflow with it.
They just want to love on everyone.

Maybe in their minds they don’t see it this way, to them it’s just normal.
But they love more, without thinking, than we could ever imagine.

We all need to remember to be a little more childlike when it comes to our love.
Allowing it to spill from our hearts, and pour from our smiles.
Loving each and every soul, and loving with all we have.

Always in love.
That is truly the greatest way to live.

What lessons have you learned from a child?
Has a child ever made you re-think your own way of life and thinking?