Are We Naive?

You asked it.

I will tell you.

Sure, we are naive.

I was nervous about this word for quite sometime.  It gave me the whole body shakes (like when you hear something that makes you uneasy).

I knew people thought it.  Those two are so naive.  They are sweet, but so naive.

I wanted to shout!  "We are NOT naive!"

"I taught in a rough classroom, thank you very much.  It was not a walk in the park.  I dealt with racism, children who had seen too much, some scary parents, and stories that would shock you to the core.  We are NOT naive!"

But then I had a visit with my best friends from college.  They are beyond intelligent, and about the most fun you can imagine.  Nicole, one of best girlfriends, helped me when I was worried about Cecilia.  She told me to let her be.  Let her be shy.  Let her only talk around her family.  Every child is different and Ceal is the quiet, cautious one in the back of the class.  I completely changed my thinking.

Then I told all my girlfriends about our adopting two precious babies.  They all asked tons of questions, and then somehow we got onto the topic of me being angry about people thinking my husband and I are naive.  I had a speech about all the reasons we were not in fact naive, when one of my best girlfriends, Rachel, spoke up.

"Sure you are naive.  We all are.  Everyone is naive about something, and if we knew everything we would not try new things.  It is good you are naive, Amanda, because you will learn what you need when they get here. Being naive is a good thing."

And that was that.  I realized being Naive was a blessing.  She changed my thinking completely.

I realized if I wasn't naive, I may never have taught on the south side of Chicago.  If I wasn't naive, I would not have made relationships that forever changed me, from that school.  If I wasn't naive I would not be who I am today, because I would given up the lessons life and God wanted to teach me.

Thank you Rachel, for allowing me to embrace the word, naive.