Monday, September 30

on fairies and faith

one time, my youngest daughter asked me:
"are fairies for real, mom?"
i then looked into her eyes, into those round pools of innocence, untainted yet by the scars and wound of growing up, and saw hope and belief there.
i told her, in the nicest voice i could muster:
"they are real as you believe they are. they would be there as you believe they'd be there."

was i lying to my child?
i believe i was not.

faith is something you believe that gives you hope.

for my youngest daughter, now 8, fairies are the sources of all the good things in life.
they are the sources of her smile at night, the sources of the safety that she feels.
should i destroy that?
i don't think so.

there will be time she'd come to know the more complicated work of the world
but as for now, i'd just let her belief in fairies.

and who knows, perhaps they are for real.
we just could not see and feel them because we have ceased to have faith in them.