“Childhood is the world of miracle and wonder; as if creation rose, bathed in the light, out of the darkness, utterly new and fresh and astonishing.  The end of childhood is when things cease to astonish us.”

– Eugene Ionesco

Does it seem as though your days flow colorlessly from one into the next?  Is there nothing left that amazes, surprises, or delights you?  Maybe it is time to invite a small child to come and spend some time reminding you that life is nothing less than a series of miracles waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.

Yesterday afternoon, we had a surprise visit from our littlest granddaughters, Cheyenne and Harper.  Grandpa put up the inflatable water slide, a relic from the days of our youngest children; and the little girls donned their matching pink swimsuits and dove right into some fun designed to beat the summer heat.

“Did you SEE that?” asked Harper, as she ran from her first landing to climb the ladder for another slide.  Yes, I thought, I’ve seen that a thousand times, performed by more than a dozen kids; but it surprised me that her wide-eyed delight eliminated any need on my part to feign enthusiasm.  There is nothing quite like watching a child experience the world for the first time!  It rekindles our own sense of awe at the wonders of life and carries us along to a place where everything is new.

We watched the girls climb and slide for more than an hour, laughing at each landing and hurrying back to the ladder each time as though the newness never diminished one bit.  When the cold water set their teeth to chattering, we moved on for a while to bubble-blowing.

It takes a lot of concentration to blow bubbles, especially when you are young enough to see them as serious fun.

They danced and they twirled and they left a trail of bubbles that giggled and floated through the magical world of childhood on a hot summer day.  I watched as they worked at their serious business of keeping the yard supplied with bubbles galore; and as I did, a child within me awakened from her deep adult sleep and began to float through the air along with the bubbles to a dreamy place she remembered from a time long ago.  I looked down from my flight and saw little Harper, bubble wand in one hand and blue popsicle in the other.  ”Did you SEE that?” she cried again, as a bubble drifted away behind her.

Today, as we venture out into the familiar world where we live our lives, let’s try to see it through the eyes of our inner child.  Let’s look with delight at each thing we see and try to remember the excitement we felt when we experienced life for the very first time.  Take a slide or two.  Pick some flowers.  Grab your bubble wand — and don’t forget your popsicle!