3-27-02 An example of Laria's dreams at the age of 3: "I dreamt that Papa and I went for a walk. He carried a remote control that made all the trees grow so tall, the houses spring colors, and all the weird little creatures living inside (the remote) jump out into reality."
4-3-02 (Laria would turn four on the 28th.) Sing-yi writes, "Today I told Laria about Freud, dreams, psychoanalysis. About doctors not of the physical body but of the human heart. That's what psychologists are called in Chinese--doctors of the heart. I told her I had studied to be a clinical psychologist. Like Freud. I interpreted one of her dreams, about a tiny bus flying up to the skies to fool around with cassette tapes there: [it was] her little brother Vyron crawling into the living room to mess around with our tapes (this being a daily obsession with him just because he has been forbidden to do so).
Biology.
4-22-02 (Laria was still six days short of her fourth birthday)
Laria: I don't know if it's because of Papa's DNA or what, or maybe it's just him, but every time he gives me a present he doesn't wrap it first.
Time.
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| Laria dancing (4 years, 3 months). Costume and choreography by Laria. |
Sing-yi: You don't want the present to turn into the past?
Laria: I don't like it always running away like that.
Mathematics.
8-29-02 (4 years, 4 months) Ted: A couple of days ago Laria and her dolls were holding an extensive birthday party. I asked whose, and Laria said it was her second birthday. I told her that I distinctly remembered already giving her a second birthday party, and she said, "But I get two." She thought about it a moment and added, "And four fourth birthdays, and ten tenth birthdays, and infinity infinitieth birthdays. . ."
(So, asked her dad, where are the other 63 birthdays I've got coming this year, huh?)
Theology.
3-4-03 (4 years, 10 months)
Laria: Mama, God just informed me that yesterdays are today's secrets.
(When told this, Ted asked Laria how the information arrived, by letter, e-mail, phone--? She said, "Words in my ear." "Did God sound like a man or a woman?" She answered right off, "Like a lion!" NOTE: This was before she knew about Aslan.)
Philosophy: the self.
4-17-03 (Eleven days before her 5th birthday) The subject heading of Ted's letter is 'The ''I's" of Laria are upon us.'
Laria: Mama, I've been thinking about something for a very long time. I keep wondering why I am "I," and I'm not you, or somebody else. Why is that? I've really been thinking about that. I don't quite know how to say this right, but I feel that I am the world's "I," even though I know that everybody else feels and thinks that they are "I" too. But my heart tells me that I am the world's only "I."
Today I'm thankful for Laria, designed in the image of her creative Father.
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