a child's mind...

is a wonderful thing. i just had a conversation with one of the neighborhood children. he cannot be more than 5 years of age. we were discussing the neighborhood stray cats. anyway, one recently died. it was an orange short haired cat with bulging eyes. nice cat, named "fluffy". often came over to eat from the bowl of cat food i leave out for others. so a few weeks pass, and there is another orange short hair cat around. and the little boy says to me maybe that new cat is fluffy's spirit come back. reincarnation of a past animal. nice thought, although the boy is not a Hindu. so i past it off as some sort of attachment. but then he inquires of me if people's spirit's come back. well what am i to say to a neighborhood boy whose parents would probably think it not a good idea to be giving religious advice to their son? so i left it at "i'm not sure."
but that is so wonderful...the mind of a child. 5 years of age, and already struggling with questions not only of faith, but of metaphysics.
to all the parents that may stumble upon this...cultivate your child's mind. let it grow with curiosity, because if that plant dies, so do they. and remember to keep yours watered also.