I met Nathaniel in my early days as an occupational therapist – he was almost four and had big brown eyes. He came to see me because had been refraining from drawing, something that could cause a graphomotoric developmental delay. I tried to get him to cooperate and participate, but he continued to avoid drawing. We both felt frustrated. I could not get him out of my head - I knew I could advance him but I didn’t know how. I scoured my cupboards filled with games and my folders filled with worksheets looking for a solution, but I couldn’t find one. And then I realized that the key was inside of me - I decided to use my God-given gift of creativity. That night I wrote the activity book “Let’s Draw Clouds" and waited excitedly for our next meeting. I read him the story and drew different types of clouds for him on the page, and for the first time, he agreed to participate. He tried and succeeded. He lifted his head and looked into my eyes and for the first time in my life I saw how a child’s experience of success can change the way he sees the world. The story I told you, Nathaniel, has now been published. Your big, happy eyes were a compass for me in my work with children. You helped me, Nathaniel, much more than I helped you. I, and the rest of the kids I have worked with, thank you.
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