Every Child

A couple of weeks again I was holding our granddaughter in my arms. She’s four months old now and just as soft and lite as she as when we first met. As her little fingers grasp mine, you can see the curiosity and wonder shine through her eyes. Oh, I know this may sound like the ravings of a doting grandpa. But honestly hasn’t everyone seen this in eyes of every child you’ve met?

Children can remind us of the wonder we once felt when learning to tie a shoe or seeing our first falling star. But many of us only look at the world through the harden eyes and hearts of an adult never seeing the beauty that is around us. Sadly, it’s because of us that children have to suffer never getting the chance to experience wonder. They end up only getting to see the reality of a life that's hard and where surviving is even harder.

Some say evolution demands this of us, but I say they are wrong. I believe in a higher gift that makes us better than just looking out for ourselves. It’s a gift of compassion and empathy that lies at the core of what makes us human.  A gift that for so long many have chosen to ignore for their own selfish reasons. Living out their lives uncaring and unsympathetic to those not like themselves.


As I stare into the eyes of our lovely grandchild I can’t help but wonder what kind of world am I leaving her. A world that is unchanged and full of hatred or a world where we look beyond my own fear and embrace the hand of an enemy.      

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