For the past couple of days, Sydney has been groaning under relentless rainfall….thunderstorms, lightening, fallen trees, flooded roads….Every news bulletin has been highlighting frightening conditions everywhere…. While chatting with friends about this rather grim picture, I came across an absolutely heart-warming story that reminded me of the beauty and innocence of childhood.
A friend of mine was telling me about how his five year old was petrified the other day at the sound of thunder cracking through the night air. It was bedtime, and she had been sleeping only for about half an hour before she woke up startled on hearing rain lashing against their rooftop. The whistling wind, eeerie and ominous, was enough to strike terror into the heart of grown-ups, let alone a five year old.
She sat up straight in bed, convinced their beloved house was going to collapse over their heads. Hearing her crying, her parents gathered around, and hugged her. But nothing would console the little one. Their house was going to crumble to the floor, and she was certain of it. Finally, her dad reminded her of the story he read to her each night…the story of the 3 little pigs….’Remember, how there are three pigs and each has a different house? The first pig builds a house made of straw, but the wicked wolf blows it down. The second pig builds a house of sticks, and the wolf blows it down too’…..The little girl, eyes wide as saucers, listened as her father spoke…..
‘Well, guess what, little one….Our house is made of brick. And remember what happened to the 3rd pig? He built a house of brick and that is why the wolf could not eat him. Just like that, no one and nothing can blow our little house down. It’s made of brick. So we are safe’
And like magic, the little girl smiled at her father, tucked her disney princess quilt under her chin and fell fast asleep, a smile lingering on her face for a long, long time.
Oh, the beauty and innocence of childhood. As adults, we probably lie awake for a long time on troubled nights, listening to the wind howling and the trees swaying…our minds are plagued by all kinds of thoughts, some so full of anxiety and worry that we find it impossible to go back to sleep. But childhood….there’s something so sweetly pure about it. And there is nothing quite as beautiful and touching as little babies sleeping peacefully, knowing with an absolute conviction…a conviction we adults can never hope to have….that everything will be alright, simply because their parents say so 🙂