Grateful for the Child Within and Every Child’s Light on #WorldChildren’sDay

Joy doesn’t have to be earned. It’s our birthright.

The Light That Never Leaves Us

Every child arrives in this world carrying pure light, a spark of curiosity, playfulness, and trust that life is good. That light may dim as we grow older and take on responsibilities, but it never disappears. It simply waits, quietly, patiently, for us to remember.  I am grateful to remember this joy.

This year, my word is Wonder. It’s my compass, my teacher, and my reminder that I can still see the world through a child’s eyes, even at seventy-two. Wonder invites me to look again, listen longer, and stay curious. It opens me to the mystery of how life works, and to the joy of not needing to have all the answers.

Lessons from the Little Ones I’ve been blessed with children in every season of life, my daughter Ali, my granddaughter Sami, my Fairy Goddaughter, Ruby, and the many young souls I meet through my life’s journey. They remind me, every time I’m with them, that wonder is contagious.

When children laugh, they don’t hold back. When they discover something new, their whole body joins the celebration. They don’t ask if it’s worthy of their attention; they simply delight. And when I watch them, I remember: joy doesn’t have to be earned. It’s our birthright.

Children live in the now. They don’t carry yesterday’s worries or tomorrow’s doubts. They show us what spiritual freedom looks like, presence, curiosity, love.

Rediscovering the Child WithinThe child within me is alive and well, she’s the part that still gasps at the color of the sky, still cries at music, still gets giddy about small miracles. She’s the one who reminds me to pause mid-hike to look at a mushroom, or to talk softly to the deer outside my window.

In a world that often rewards certainty, she teaches me the holiness of not knowing. Of wondering, rather than concluding. Of asking, rather than assuming.

When I let her lead, life becomes lighter. Conversations deepen. Creativity blooms. And even challenges feel like lessons waiting to be discovered.

Listening with WonderPart of wonder, for me, is learning to listen differently. To really hear what others are saying, not just the words, but the feelings underneath. I’m practicing seeing from their perspective, letting go of my need to be right, and instead asking, “I wonder what it feels like to be them?”

It’s amazing how that one question can soften my heart and open the door to compassion. When I listen this way, judgment dissolves. Wonder becomes understanding, and understanding becomes love.

A Child’s View of the WorldChildren see magic everywhere because they expect it. They look for beauty and find it easily. They trust the goodness of people. And maybe that’s what the world needs most right now, a collective return to that kind of faith.

On this World Children’s Day, I celebrate every child, in body, in spirit, in memory, and the light they bring to our world. And I celebrate the child within each of us, waiting to be invited out to play.

Living in WonderToday, I give thanks for the gift of wonder, for the eyes that still sparkle, the heart that still asks questions, and the soul that still believes in possibility.

May I nurture the child within me with patience and laughter. May I listen, learn, and love with open curiosity. And may I never stop wondering, because wonder is how Spirit keeps us young.