As a child I found delight in leaf and twig and tree.
\nSuch simple gifts of nature were a source of joy to me.
\nBirds singing in the tree-tops, the sun against my face,
\nSplashing through the puddles, as round the woods I\u2019d race.<\/p>\n

Taking home a sticky-bud and placing in a jar,
\nThen watching slowly open the green five-pointed star.
\nCollecting burnished conkers, lying where they fell,
\nAmongst the Autumn-tinted leaves and peeping from the shell.<\/p>\n

But now it seems much harder to enjoy such simple things;
\nTo receive with open hands and heart the gifts that each day brings.
\nNo longer just accepted with unconsidered pleasure,
\nBut analysed and categorised, I miss the hidden treasure.<\/p>\n

O to be a child again! And put off grown up ways.
\nTo know again the myriad gifts with which you fill my days.
\nTo know you as my Father, and to know that I\u2019m your son,
\nAnd as a child to trust your ways until my days are done.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

I wrote this poem on a retreat day back in January 2000. Now\u00a0I am not going to pretend that these are the greatest lines ever penned, but they do nonetheless capture the essence of what I was thinking and feeling at that time. Perhaps more importantly, they also capture something of what I believe to have been God\u2019s word for me that day: the need for a more childlike approach to my life and faith. Whilst it was almost 10 years before I started writing\u00a0As a Child<\/em>, this was really the beginnings of the book.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a child I found delight in leaf and twig and tree. Such simple gifts of nature were a source of joy to me. Birds singing in the tree-tops, the sun against my face, Splashing through the puddles, as round the woods I\u2019d race. Taking home a sticky-bud and placing in a jar, Then watching… Continue reading Poem: As a Child<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":128,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P2k38J-1N","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.asachildbook.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/111"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.asachildbook.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.asachildbook.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.asachildbook.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.asachildbook.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"http:\/\/www.asachildbook.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":989,"href":"http:\/\/www.asachildbook.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/111\/revisions\/989"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.asachildbook.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.asachildbook.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}