Truly Wise

The lion cub, looking cuddly and comfy in the crook of it's mother's neck, will one day grow and become a sign of courage and fierce dignity. The same can and should happen to children with the right love and comfort.

Lately, and because of an incident that occurred, the notion that the truly wise person finds room in their life for the spirit of the child, just as the lion does with it's cub, and so, the wise person, no matter what age, can play, trust, grow, and most of all, recover from mistakes. The wise person listen's to it's children, and recognizes that the child bears within a certain divine quality that often disappears in adults.

And so, leave it to a child to get to the heart of the matter instead of the wiser adult.  My very dear friend, Lefika, who is the ripe old wise age of 7, did something naughty. When I was in Lesotho in October, Lefika came into the house when Stanley was feeding Keoki, and 1) wouldn't obey Stanley to stay out of the house, and 2) he attempted to take some small toy items that he thought he rightly deserved. Well, when I got home and was told about this disappointing act from a good friend, I immediately confronted it, and, hurt as I was, I told Lefika that we could no longer be friends unless he found a creative way of telling me he's sorry. At that, and after my schpeel of stealing, I walked away with the hope that he'll find a way to apologize, and being the wise person that I am, I can forgive him and move on.

Almost two months go by, and though Lefika is in my primary class, and shines above all, nothing has happened. Sitting on the porch the other day, I was wondering who was gonna give in first.  With the holidays upon us, and my service in it's final year, I didn't want to let this go much longer---but, as wise as I am, I am also as stubborn, and apparently, so is my lion friend Lefika. All I wanted was something a little creative from this highly intelligent boy whom I've grown to love---so, given that the African Gods probably heard my thinkings today, I walked by Lefika's house with Keoki and saw him climbing like a monkey up a tree. He sees me, jumps down with the same agility as a monkey, looks at me, and bows in an Asian form to me---and says, can we walk together again.

There was nothing in the entire world that could have been a better peace offering than this child having the where-with-all to know that something profoundly Asian would absolutely get me to say ok, let bygones be bygones. Lefika and I walked for over an hour talking about life, and other unusual happenings. He is certainly a lion among all others here, and as I found out today, has the heart of one too!