Dreams ...

"The child is the father of the man." Wordsworth.

Think on that!

Children are the future of a (our) country. Children treated badly will treat others badly and so forth.

The difference between a bad citizen and a good citizen can many times be found in the childhood.

Children should have dreams, and believe in fairies and never never land and have sweets for dinner and cupcakes for breakfast. Children should believe everything to be possible and children should hear they are wonderful, clever and beautiful creatures. That will make them believe they can do anything and be anything.

The French had a proverb in the late 14th century which said that "Children and fools tell the truth". I do not have children, but my sister has two lovely girls (of which the one beliefs that she is a princess and the other beliefs she can be anything she wants to be!) and from experience with them, I know this proverb to be absolutely true.

And then I hear about a baby girl left between garbage on a winter's night, unwanted, and about a baby girl abused by her mother, unloved, and about children who do not have enough to eat, who are sold and hired out to others for the purpose of begging and of children who do not have books to read. If they do not have books to read, how will they know about big dreams? How will they know that there is a life and a big world out there, where they can be anything they choose to be?

And then I saw them - the three black boys, neatly dressed in their school uniforms, sitting around a table in the bookstore - and they (small as they are) are discussing a storybook with pictures. And my hope for our children is restored by three beautiful black boys in a bookstore - the future of my country. And I smiled at them , but they were to busy to notice me, to busy with the important stuff of growing up and reading books.

Maybe the grownups should remember all about their childhood dreams and hopes and while living that out make time to teach their children to hope and dream ...

May your dreams come true my dear Reader. Have a wonderful day.