This I Believe

I believe God is seen and heard in the faces, the voices, and, yes, even the antics and mischievousness of children. To me, they are the most beautiful and heart-warming of all God’s people and creatures–truly innocent, truly precious.

When free from contraint, they laugh and play with joyous delight. They laugh when tickled, scream when scared or frightened, and, most of all, come up with the most original and mind-boggling statements and assertions.

Take little Lawrence, a second-grader; when met with disapproval because of his poor grades, by the priest, giving him his report card; the priest, saying, “Lawrence, you’ll never get to college like your big brothers, with these grades!” Unabashedly, Lawrence replied, “Oh, that’s all right, Father, I’m going to be a priest, just like you.”

Or take seven year old, Robert. As it was my first year teaching, I wanted to maintain as much order in and out of the classroom as possible, without being overly or too demanding. When we lined up outsid