Childlike Wonder

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day,
is bonny, and blythe, and good, and gay.

There once was an almost grown child, determined and eager, who wanted to go far. However, she was born on a Tuesday and was instead, according to the poem, slated to be full of grace. So, she only took her "boat" a little ways south and discovered a place full of grace and truth.

During her years there she stumbled upon an old, out of print, precious children’s story. This soon to be young woman loved things ancient, precious, & hard to find. Her children’s literature professor entrusted her with a gem published in 1910. Carefully holding the old linen, hardback book, the dusty smell of history & fiction awakened something in her soul. A longing with a sense of loss while anticipating the pleasures of adulthood penetrated her mind and pricked her heart.

This book, Through The Little Green Door by Mary Dickerson Donahey, introduced her to another almost grown child named Judith who was incredibly lonely. She lived among adults that were so prim, proper, and serious that they had almost completely forgotten that they ever were at one time children. Even her child-aged cousins acted like grown ups and were robbed of childlike pleasures.

Judith (Judy as a child) was allowed to escape from the dreary reality of life into “Little Child Land” behind the little green door in her grandmother’s old house. In this dream like place she met three generations of Judiths that she comes from. The oldest, Puritan Judith, was born in England and immigrated to America as a baby. She found out that “Little Child Land” contained the little child selves of the adults in real life, living on to help in remembering the memories of childhood and reliving them when called upon by their real selves. The “Mother” of the land explained,

“These children are boys and girls who grew up, and left behind them their little child selves when they become young men and women. Here they never grow old, never grow tired of fairy tales or games or frolics, never are too big to be hugged and petted and kissed. They are always just the same, doing over and over again the things they did when they were real children, out in the big world.”

“How lovely!” cried Judy, “but nobody ever told me of such a place. Do the grown folks know about it?”

The old lady said softly, “Not so many as we’d like, dear, not so many as we’d like. There are some grown people who forget all about their little childselves and shut themselves up tight in grown folks’ ways and thoughts and pleasures, and it does hurt the poor little forgotten children so! It makes them sad and lonely. If a grown-up person remembers his little child self always, when he dies the little self lives on with us forever, and helps all other children and the grown folks too. But if that man or woman forgets, the little child self fades away till there is nothing left, so we never see it any more. But I’m glad to say that does not happen often.” (Through the Little Green Door by Mary Dickerson Donahey)

However, Judy knew it was happening with the women she lived with and the cousins that were still children. She wanted to remain in Little Child Land and live there forever.

As the story unfolds, Judy’s task is to awaken the childlike self in her Aunt and Great Grandmamma. As she attempts this in the real world, she is also allowed, at times to go behind the little green door for an adventure in Little Child Land with a different dream child as her guide.

Amy began to realize that as she grew into adulthood, she needs to cultivate the childlike wonder and remember the adventures she had as a child. However, she knew her temperament tended to be on the "too serious" side. God would have to provide others as His gifts of grace to guide her, like Judy's dream child guides in Little Child Land.

Returning from the south, Amy found an enchanted place with her mother called Close to Home (a store filled with delightful things to decorate and furnish your home). In it was a Judith that embodied this childlike self as an adult woman. As her mother complimented Judith on the beauty of her store, the wonders of an antique, rose chintz pattern teapot and place setting for two arrested Amy’s heart. Such sparkles in the eyes of another was not lost on Judith. This store owner set the coveted teapot and necessaries aside, hoping to bestow a precious gift someday.

Not long after that “through the Close to Home door” experience, Amy began courting the son of Judith. Judith heard that Amy was planning a homemade dessert to celebrate her son’s birthday. It was the opportunity Judith was waiting for. She wanted to have her son be the first to be served on the rose chintz tea ware owned by the "hoped for future daughter in law." The week before his actual day Judith presented Amy with the “no pressure” gift.

Amy knew then, that God had indeed blessed her life by being born on Tuesday, a child full of grace. She received a gift of his grace embodied in a her own Judith who would guide her in cultivating the childlike self, keeping it alive and strong in Little Child Land.

As each has received a gift,
use it to serve one another
as good stewards of God's varied grace.
1 Peter 4:10

Dedicated to Judith Guerino, my Judy-Mom as she continues to endure a long hospital stay.