I have never forgotten because what my eldest said was so striking.

I must say that I have always been attentive to what (my) children told me. I always enjoyed that immensely and still do! I enjoy the pure children’s wisdom that I hear.

 

I put them to bed and when tucking in the eldest I said to her: ’Go to sleep little girl, I will put your cuddlies and your doll here, they will look after you tonight.’                                                                           

She looked at me and said: ‘Never mind mummy, don’t worry, in a moment I won’t be here anyway!’ 

I thought that rather funny and asked: ‘Why do you say that you won’t be here in a moment…’                          

She answered: ‘Well, mummy, when I go to sleep, it is not really sleep, it is waking up elsewhere and then, in a short while, I will be dividing myself.’

’Dividing…’ I asked her as I didn’t understand what she meant exactly.            

’Yes mummy, I will just divide, one part stays here and the other goes to humans who need help!’                                                                      

I said I didn’t quite get it and could she please explain.

Very quietly and not at all like a child of her age but more like an adult she told me: ‘Look mum, you should see it like a sort of angel but different, I am just away for a little while. I must help where people need help.’ 

As if it were the most normal thing in the world she said in her particular manner: ‘Don’t worry, mummy, when you wake up tomorrow I will be here again.’

 

Obviously I realized early on that I could learn a lot from (my) children and should listen carefully to what they would say to me.

As far as I can remember, I slept very well that night. 

I now think that I must have fallen asleep full of trust and with a smile on my face, thinking of what she had said to me.

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