In my own study of creativity, I continue to come back to memories, especially memories of childhood. Those memories contain a power I hadn’t realized. I will continue to go back to them. For in them is something of a clue or a key. Of which Georges Bernanos touches on through his character Curé de Torcy, a priest:
Poor blokes! They’ve worn everything threadbare–even sin. You can’t have a “good time” just because you want to. The shabbiest tuppeny doll will rejoice a baby’s heart for half the year, but your mature gentleman’ll go yawning his head off at a five-hundred franc gadget. And why? Because he has lost the soul of childhood. Well, God has entrusted the Church to keep that soul alive, to safeguard our candor and freshness.
–from Georges Bernanos’ novel The Diary of a Country Priest
Ross Gale is a writer and editor from the Pacific Northwest. 
I recommend G.K. Chesterton and his chapter from Orthodoxy entitled, “The Ethics of Elfland”, for further thoughts on the mysterium and beauty and wonder that is childhood (and really the whole book is rather excellent). It’s a little dense, and his reasoning appears divergent; it’s not. Get to the last page…
I recommend G.K. Chesterton and his chapter from Orthodoxy, “The Ethics of Elfland”, for more on the mysterium, the beauty, the wonder and joy that is the soul of childhood (and really the whole book is rather excellent) and how its at the heart of being a Christian.
Thanks for adding to my must read list. I will always resent you.
So true. Childhood is a veritable treasure chest of ideas for creative writing.