Childhood

Sometimes an uncontrollable feeling of sadness grips us,he said.We recognize that the magic
moment of the day has passed and that we've done nothing ahout it. Life begins to conceal its
magic and its art.
We have to listen to the child we once were, the child who still exists inside us. That child
understands magic moments. We can stifle its cries, but we cannot silence its voice.
The child we once were is still there. Blessed are the children, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
If we are not reborn—if we cannot learn to look at life with the innocence and the enthusiasm of
childhood—it makes no sense to go on living.
There are many ways to commit suicide. Those who try to kill the body violate God's law. Those
who try to kill the soul also violate God's law, even though their crime is less visible to others.
We have to pay attention to what the child in our heart tells us. We should not be embarrassed by
this child. We must not allow this child to be scared because the child is alone and is almost never
heard.
We must allow the child to take the reins of our lives. The child knows that each day is different
from every other day.
We have to allow it to feel loved again. We must please this child—even if this means that we act
in ways we are not used to, in ways that may seem foolish to others.
Remember that human wisdom is madness in the eyes of God. But if we listen to the child who
lives in our soul, our eyes will grow bright. If we do not lose contact with that child, we will not
lose contact with life.

By: Paulo Coelho in "By the river Piedra I sat down & wept"