Remarkable Part of ‘Dibs, in search of self’ by Virginia Axline

“Do you know other grown-ups?”

“Of course I do. There is Hedda, our maid. And there is Jake, our gardener. And there is Millie who does our laundry. The tree outside my window grew close enough for me to reach out and touch it. But Papa told Jake to trim it. He said it rubbed against the house. But I told Jake the tree was my friend and that branch I needed. And Jake didn’t cut it off. And then Papa went out and said he wanted it off because it was too close to the house. Jake said, I liked the branch, because I could reach out my window and touch it. Then Papa said he didn’t want me hanging out the window and he would put a safety screen on the window. Then he told Jake to cut off the branch and be quick about it. Papa said I had plenty of other things to play with. He made Jake saw it off far away from the window but Jake saved me the tip end of the branch that I used to touch. And he gave it to me. He told me it was an old elm tree, probably two hundred years old, and in all that time, probably no one ever loved it as much as I did.”

photo credit: www.workhappynow.com 

“That was really very nice. I was in God’s house today for the very first and only time. Tell me, why do some people believe in God and some not believe?”

“I think everyone makes up his own mind for himself.”

"I wonder what God is like. Grandmother told me, God is our Father in heaven. I wouldn’t like God to be like (my) Papa. Because sometimes, I don’t think like Papa loves me. Grandmother says that Papa does love me. But if he does why don’t I know it? Grandmother loves me and I love her, and I know because I feel it deep inside of me. It’s hard to figure things like this out. It makes me feel lonesome not knowing God.”