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There were moments when I was putting together the above story when I was taken back to those days when I was around the age of being a fourth-grader.
I guess that would be about, what ... 10?
I'm pretty sure all of us could go back and conjure up a few memories from our childhood during that time.
You see, the children in that story are filled with a sadness for each of these dogs and cats living at the local animal shelter.
And they are filled with so much love for every single one. No exclusions.
Not just the cute puppy with its fabulous puppy breath.
Not just the younger dog who wants to run and play.
These Wells students actually took the time to think of a way for all of the homeless dogs and cats to get adopted.
Oh, if only it were that simple.
There was a time when we, too, had that much hope.
We believed anything was possible.
Do you remember?
Maybe it was just too long ago for us to recall ... but I am certain there was a time when we believed.
All children do.
They were times when we feared little and seldom worried.
We loved freely and deeply.
We loved unconditionally.
What we felt was genuine.
Love was real.
I know this because whenever a child tells you they love you, they are usually smiling with their eyes as they say it.
And you can just tell it is the absolute truth.
There is no deception. No kind of trickery involved.
It is not a line they are making up merely to be polite.
It is not a lie being told simply because it is the correct thing to do.
They genuinely mean it.
How things change along the way.
As we get older, something happens to our hearts. They change.
When I wrote about these fourth-graders visiting the shelter, I put myself in their shoes.
How sad they must have felt for these animals.
The same way I still feel ... even to this day.
But the difference is that their compassion lies with each and every dog and every cat.
They care about them all.
Not one is excluded.
As an adult, we tend to judge animals a little differently.
The same way we tend to judge people.
We pay attention to what breed they are.
We look at their demeanor. We want to know what they are capable of.
We make judgments.
But to a child, they see every animal the same.
Simply a dog. Simply a cat.
Adults have concerns. We ask questions.
But we don't always ask the right questions.
At least not the way we would if we still possessed that child's heart we once had.
If a dog is aggressively barking, we shy away.
We look at the next cage.
We move as far away as possible.
We do not stop and inquire as to how the animal came to be this way.
We have no idea if this particular dog was perhaps brought up to be a protector or a fighter.
We do not question if the animal lived a life of abuse or was mistreated.
And because we don't ask … we will never know. And they will always be forgotten.
But children, well, children will simply love the heck out of that aggresively-barking dog.
They will want to help them, despite the animal's demeanor or characteristics.
Why?
Because they are children.
That trip to the humane society afforded these children the chance to see all of the unwanted, all of the discarded, all of the animals that have been dealt an unfortunate circumstance. It made them want to adopt a new pet.
These 10-year-olds contemplated ways to find each one a new home. Why can't adults do that? Why can't we think of a place where these homeless animals would make a perfect fit?
It is rather unfortunate these boys and girls can't adopt or foster yet. They would make a pretty good owner if you ask me. Better than some, I guarantee.
Sadly, they are simply too young.
And then, when they are older and can finally adopt ... life will have changed them.
Will they even remember that at one point in time, how more than anything they wanted to help a shelter animal? Maybe. But it will not be that same kind of adoration or desperation to save a life. It will not be as it was the other day when they visited the shelter as a child.
Because life will change them.
How unbelievably sad. But it happens. To all of us.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all care about things the same way that we did when we were young?
To be able to go back to before the time life disappointed us?
Before life broke our heart?
Before the world gave us so much responsibility?
How great would it be to believe that all people are good and kind, once again?
Children … they possess a certain type of magic that I can't really explain.
They're not worried about paying bills. They are not focused on a relationship.
They are not questioning if a friendship is real or not.
They do not understand prejudice.
They are simply people before we become disappointed people.
Time teaches us how to lose that beautiful spirit. How I wish we all had the heart of a child.
Life would be so much more beautiful.
Just as we learned in Sunday school, Jesus loves the little children.
I can see why.
I wish all of us could go back and remember a time before life happened. A time before the world changed us.
I would love to be able to find that person once again and live through the eyes of a child.
It's a pretty wonderful place to be.
(Stenger is the community editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times newspapers. She can be contacted by e-mail at jstenger@heraldstaronline.com.)