And a woman who held
a babe against her bosom said,
"Speak to us of Children".
And he said:
Your children are not
your children,
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but are not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them
your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from
which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and
He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
So he loves also the bow that is stable.
recommended reading: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
SAVE THE CHILDREN
Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change in the
lives of children in need in the United States and around the world.
