Something gets lost.

Yesterday morning, I got out of bed and got dressed, putting on my East School shirt that I got in 5th grade, with Class of '99 printed on the sleeve. My sister did the same, with Class of 2001 on her sleeve and we met a bunch of other alumni of East School, mostly from her class. We joined the students, facutly, staff and parents for their Hands Around East School ceremony. This is where everyone in the entire school makes a long line linking hands and walks around the school and then into the gym to sing a few songs. Although my favorite song was apparently not a part of the ceremony anymore, I really enjoyed being there.

After leaving the gym, we walked around the school to visit the teachers we had had years ago. There were only a handful that were still there from when I was student, but I enjoyed talking to those I could find. What really caught my eye were the different pictures hanging on the wall, and even more so-- the quotes that went along with the pictures.

"Caring makes you a better person and the world a better place."

"Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking."

"Character takes courage, it requires doing what's right, not what's easy and popular."

How enoucraging!! And for these young children to be seeing and reading these powerful messages daily! I got me wondering why there were not similar things around the high school. I have been back to visit THS a few times since I have been home and other than hall monitors asking me if I have a pass and groups of kids walking around trying to get out of class, I haven't noticed much in the hallways. Something gets lost between the elementary years and the high school years.

Not just the pictures on the wall. A person's imagination, his or her willingness to look silly in front of people-- their childlike persona.

And wouldn't we say, "Well, duh- they are no longer children- they grow up into adults."

What if we all kept a bit of our childlike qualities. Not the qualities that cause us to mouth off to our parents or hit other children if they take something of ours, but the qualities that allow us to be fearless and to dream of being anything that we want to be.

Something is lost between then and now. We have got to get it back. I have recently read in a few books similar urgent messages that say that we ought to be more like children. I believe it was Mark Batterson in his book In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day that said in order to be more Christ-like, we must be more childlike. I thought back to stories that I have read from the bible and the overall person that I have learned Jesus was in those stories and realized that Batterson is absolutely correct.

So let's try and become more like children. I know I am working on it.

It would so much fun to laugh uncontrollably until our stomachs hurts.

We should take a chance everyday, regardless of whether or not we are afraid of the outcome (preferably if we ARE afraid.)

The only way to dream is to dream big, because if we don't-- what is the sense of dreaming anyway?

We ought to question everything we hear- whether in our own minds or out loud.

And of course, as childlike adults, we will have tons of fun along the way.

I am out to chase after the little girl in my heart and to bring her beauty into my adult life. So next time somebody tells me, "You're acting like a child." I will respond, "Thank you!"