I am, by Joshua

Today’s world can be one of contradictions and confusion. It is difficult to discern what is artificial and what is authentic. It is a challenge to interpret the truth. It is easy to lose sight of our core beliefs and values. 

It is said that if we could turn back time and see the world through our childhood selves, we could renew and refocus our perspective on life. We could once again invoke our curiosity, rekindle our deepest hopes, and revisit our most precious dreams.  

Wanda Schmelzer of Marco Island recently found the opportunity to see life not necessarily through her own childhood, but through the eyes of her once 12-year-oldgrandson, Joshua, who is now thirty-eight. Wanda found a poem that Joshua had written more than a generation ago. Each stanza holds a message, enhanced with a poetic refrain of honesty, innocence, simplicity, and hope.  

I thank Wanda for sharing this poem. Joshua’s words, written so long ago, have opened my eyes to a simpler world that once lived in my heart, and I’m sure in the hearts of many. It is a vision of a world in which I will strive to believe once again.