all that giggles

David (4) and Lilou (6) at Jericho Beach, last hour of sun

“Thought is a kind of opium; it can intoxicate us, while still broad awake; it can make transparent the mountains and everything that exists. It is by love only that one keeps hold upon reality, that one recovers one’s proper self, that one becomes again will, force, and individuality." - Henri-Frédéric Amiel


I honestly steal most of these snippets of brilliance from brainpickings.org because whoever picks them is my heart whisperer.  Anyway... This struck a chord for me today because I have had a delightful time visiting with my nieces and nephew, sister and brother-in-law, who are in Vancouver for a few weeks.  Through spending time with them, sharing in kids' fascination with everything and anything and catching up with my big sis, I have immediately felt a weight lifted and a support granted that only family can lend unknowingly, without even being asked.  I have, truly, felt more like myself, or more accurately the person I hope to be.  And you've got to celebrate the kind of unanticipated moment when you realize your wealth.  

So thank you for these children who hold my hand and offer me without slightest hesitation their magnificent views of the world and awaken me to its vastness again.  Children notice things; notice you. And they want to share what they notice with you. If you accept, that sharing brings you out into the world and out from yourself.  If you let it, and you let go, it feels cleansing and fresh.