Once upon a time an old man and the Holy Child sat in silence by the riverside. After a while, the old man heard the Child talking to himself, or so it seemed. As the old man leaned in closer to listen, these are the words he heard:
“You are beautiful. I am so happy you were born. I love you. You are the perfect weaving of Sky and Earth, the keeper of holy fire and soothing water. I want you to be happy, so I will sing this day, sing your praises, give thanks for the life you give me. I am so grateful that you carry me with such grace and generosity. I love you. I appreciate you. Now let’s go play.”
And then he was quiet again. Tears were streaming down his face.
Finally the old man spoke: “That was a beautiful prayer.”
“Thank you,” said the Child.
“You must love God very much.”
“I do, but those words were not spoken for God.”
“Then who were you talking to?”
“Myself,” said the Child, reaching down and cupping his hand into the cool water.
“Yourself?” said the old man surprised.
“Yes,” laughed the Child, “don’t you talk to yourself that way?”
“No,” replied the old man, staring at the flowing river, “never.”
“Now’s a good time to start,” said the Child, as he rose and took the old man by the hand, “never has ended. The time to love yourself has come.”
Copyright Joseph Anthony of the Wonder Child Blog