HOW REMARKABLE IS THIS?

03/22/2019 By ABRAHAM REGUNTA

It was a regular working day. I was in my office grappling with a possible idea for my blog. As I was deep in thought Cheryl Broetje came to me and pointed out a little girl at the Café counter and asked me if I knew her. I told her that I was seeing her for the first time. Cheryl excitedly told me that she saw the little girl reading a quote of Albert Einstein placed on the wall in front of her office. She came out of her office and asked her to read it again. She said the little girl read it and then told her that she was aware of another famous quote by Albert Einstein. Amazed by the little girl’s knowledge, Cheryl immediately checked out the accuracy of the quote made by the little girl. To her amazement the little girl had narrated the quote that reads, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Equally amazed by the little girl’s knowledge I decided to speak to her. She told me that she was 8 years old and her name was Darlene and studied in Grade 3. She was with her three siblings who all looked very excited. I asked Darlene if she knew the meaning of the quote about the fish. She just smiled at me. Then she said that she did not understand the complete meaning but had learnt about it from her friend at school. I told her that a fish will find itself uncomfortable and struggle to survive if it were put on a tree because it is meant to be in water where it swims and thrives. Just the same we as humans are blessed with unique gifts and we should use those gifts to our strength and make a positive impact in our communities. I gave Darlene and her siblings a few examples and they did not waste time to tell me what they would love to do.

Darlene and her siblings were so well mannered. They spoke to me with a smile on their faces all the time. I have always believed that a child’s life is first shaped at his/her home with the family, after which comes the school they attend and then the community where they live. Darlene told me that she loves the community of Tierra Vida. She described it as a community that shares and lives together in harmony and peace. Darlene is a lovely little girl being raised at home under the watchful eyes of her parents, she also seems to be surrounded by peers at school who are impacting her personality positively, and finally she lives in a community that gives her the love and affection that is helping her to grow with the right values. I believe these are all factors that are beautifully combining together for Darlene as she grows up to inspire many other kids like her.