"How to stay younger than your kids." jjm
I got that look from my daughter again the other day. It is the look that
says: "Dad, will you please just act your age?" You see, my daughter is growing
up fast and is on her way to becoming a beautiful, young woman. Even though she
is still a teenager she already has the maturity and the wisdom of an adult. I,
on the other hand, have been busy enjoying my second childhood ever since my
first one ended. It seems strange to my daughter then that sometimes she appears
to be the older and more grown up of the two of us.
What my daughter doesn't realize, though, is that I used to be a child,
teenager, and young adult myself. I can distinctly remember what it was like to
be each one of them. In fact, all three of them still live on inside of me. I
can still choose to be anyone of them I wish. While I know then that I have to
be an adult most of the time, I also know that being a child is a lot more fun.
Children are so much closer to their love. Children are so much closer to
their laughter. Children are so much closer to their joy. Children are so much
closer to the light than we adults are. They seem to know instinctively what
most of have forgotten; that God loves us and wants us to be happy in our lives
here. That is why no matter how old, tired, and wrinkled this body of mine may
get, inside of it there will always beat the heart of a child. Our souls may be
eternal, but I see no reason why they can't also be forever young.
Don't be afraid to live with the joy of a child. Don't be afraid to love with
the heart of a child. Don't be afraid to laugh with the delight of a child. It
is your childlike soul that will light the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is
your childlike heart that will bring you to oneness with God. It is your
childlike spirit that will fill your life here with happiness. Let the child
within you out then. You may get that look from time to time, but the joy is
worth it.
© Joseph J.
Mazella
