Today while observing a two year old exploring a church nursery – I couldn't help but notice her simple awe in everything she encountered.  There was this overflowing joy in just meeting the next thing to explore.  I quickly grabbed my camera and began capturing the gestures of joy she made.

I wondered as I witnessed this delight in life – how do we loose that freshness?  I see this wonderment in the kindergarten.   I don't often see it in faculty meetings or the teacher lunchroom!  I am reminded of a Lao Tzu saying “From wonder into wonder existence opens.”   This pretty much sums up the young child.

Observing young children, one thing always stands out to me.  There is this quality of the heart – children take on life authentically and with their whole heart.  I can't help but wonder – is simple awe a function of the heart?   As an educator, a mother, a friend, a wife – I want to free the heart into a state of simple awe.   Maybe there is something to learn from a two year old. . .

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be felt within the heart.   — Helen Keller

“One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.”
–Maria Montessori