I listened to a child recite her math table; it took me back to my childhood when I had addition, subtraction, multiplication and division cards for every combination between 1 and 12. At the time, friends had cards from 0 to 12. I never understood the need to feel good because you knew the obvious when it came to zero. I do know that it helped some, so I was happy to compete with them using their cards.
The child was good. She knew her tables! I realized as we played with this that there was no thinking on her part. She saw a pattern and knew the answer connected with the pattern. Bam bam, question answer. It words perfectly.
“How many eggs do you have when you get six from one store and six from another?”
The blank gaze met my eyes as if a question was forming in her mind. As I let the question sit in the silence, her faced reflected the growing puzzle.
“Let me ask the question another way. 6 + 6 = ?”
“Twelve.”
“Six eggs + 6 eggs equals?”
Eyes lit up with a sparkle returning, “Twelve?”
As we talked more, joking around and adding things other than eggs, she began to add her own items. They included dolls, dragons, and all kinds of things that were beyond my imagination.
I saw her the other day. She had a riddle for me. This time it was a mix of chicken and eggs. As I laughed and struggled with the answer for longer than one should, an old psalm came to mind; “Help me understand these things inside and out so I can ponder your miracle-wonders.” (Psalm 119.27)
I loved the way she schooled me on the knowledge in her heart. I laughed and experienced the wonder and beauty of a child’s way of seeing life. I remember the things of the heart and emerged with hope. I glimpsed truths known only by experienced and realized I had been healed in the process.
Thank you for your heart wisdom,
