How it Works

As is so often the case with parents, one of the roles she has taken on in recent years, is that of "driver."  She is driving many times a week.  And also like many other parents, sometimes she just drives and listens.  You learn much more on these rides if you just sit back and listen.  On this particular night, she was caught off guard when the following discussion was initiated by the 9 year old.

9 yo: I wish I could remember what I did in some of my other lives.

11 yo (after a long thought): IF that's how it works, you're not supposed to remember.

9 yo:  Oh, that's the way it works.  I remember one life.  I was a grandpa and I had 2 grandchildren, one was named Mary.  The name was popular back then.

11 yo:  Back when?

9 yo:  I'm not sure of the year, but olden days.

Pause in conversation.  Is it over already?

9 yo:  I wonder how old PaJim is in his new life? 

And there it is.  One fleeting moment.  One more glimpse into the depths of a 9 year old heart and mind.