Edith Vaillancourt sent me this song this morning… I listened to it many times. I could not stop.
It touched me deeply.
I cried and I did not understand why.
I am not a religious man and yet, this music touched my soul.
I followed the feeling and I kept listening because I wanted to understand…
I am deeply touched by the innocence that I can feel in their voices.
Childhood is filled with an optimistic innocence that is so beautiful… like a flower blooming during spring, through the snow.
This is the image that this music inspired in my mind.
And it made me think…
About what happens in the teenage years,
How kids change and how some of the innocence is lost,
And I cried even more…
As I see my son at the doors of life, entering adolescence.
I can only reflect on my own experience, on my own life…
My parents were awesome,
As a child, they directed and protected me…
As a teenager, they inspired and set me free,
And this mix of optimism and innocence was transmuted into a flexible resilience filled with optimism that has endured into middle age and helped me grow through the hardships of life.
Nowadays, a deep sense of peaceful serenity is entering my life.
I am enjoying every moments of this beautiful existence.
I am considering my own role as a father.
I need to gradually shift my approach with Liam from protective supervision of my boy to supportive inspired guidance of my teenager to be.
He will ultimately lose his innocence as life brings him the obstacles that he needs to grow and I accept this fact.
Nothing stops the currents in the river of our existence.
We can only keep our heads out of the water,
And keep our eyes on the beautiful sun ,
And on the star filled evening sky.
I hope Liam’s innocence transforms into resilience and that his optimism does not fade as did mine under the influence of good loving parents.
Thank you Marthe Roy
Thank you Chi Pham Dinh
Thank you for being the most wonderful loving parents a child could ever wish for.
Martin Pham Dinh 