13.2.18

Only With The Heart


While in undergraduate school, I was enrolled in a children’s literature course taught by a very serious scholar. On the first day of class she informed us that any student she heard using the designation, “Kiddy Lit,” for her favorite literature genre would be given the grade of "F" for the class. We were believers.

When we were assigned to read, annotate, and create a card file (200 minimum) of our favorite Kindergarten through sixth grade books for children (and also to type the information as a document to submit for grading) I wondered about this busy work. However, after spending many hours in the library and reading hundreds of books written for children, I came to appreciate the purpose of this assignment. During the many years I taught elementary school and middle school literature, I used this file often to locate books for use in units of study.

This time-consuming assignment also introduced me to the fact that many children’s books contain messages for adults. The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery is one such book, and a quote from this book came to mind this week while I was reflecting on life, and hurts, and just “getting over stuff.”

The Little Prince:

“And now here is my secret,
     a very simple secret.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;
     what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

These reflections also made me wonder about passages I included in my novel and if these passages came from a deep place in my heart rather than coming just from imagination.

Arthur Thomas in Child of Desire:*

“A man’s pride is a daughter. That she is exceptionally beautiful and smart is a gift. Never would a loving father intentionally hurt his daughter. But a thoughtless and careless father might cause hurt and live forever with regret. I will always love you! Papa.”

I know that only God sees my heart, but I sometimes wish for an invisible connection between my heart and the hearts of others that might serve to facilitate understanding.

 Heart Clipart ~ MyCuteGraphics

* The second edition of Child of Desire is scheduled for publication on Amazon during the month of March and will be available on Kindle.