Tanika To The Rescue: A Lesson In Faith

You would have loved Rachel, she’s the sort of kid that keeps your soul young and puts a skip into your tired step. To be honest, I forget why she was brought into the clinic, probably her parents were trying to understand her. But over the years I’ve learned that when you’re in sessions with young kids, you’ve got to engage their sense of fun and play and imagination or the relationship just doesn’t click. And, I’ve got to tell you, that I’ve yet to be asked to treat any adolescent or adult with a Santa fixation or Easter Bunny or tooth fairy obsession but I’ve had to treat thousands who have lost their sense of fun and fantasy and can’t imagine anything good happening in their lives. 

In the clinic I had my few magic tricks and my special gem stones with special powers and I’d have special dolls with powers to chase away any night time monsters or, if they wanted religious reassurance, I might use the power of the crucifix.

But Rachel caught me out at my own game. She was absolutely convinced that her little worry dolls could beat every problem. When I challenged her, Rachel said that she would prove it to me. She reached into her little handbag and pulled out a few of the dolls that her parents had bought at a Bali street stall. Rachel asked me to choose any one I liked. I chose one we called Tanika and put it on my desk standing upright in a little blob of blu-tak.

Rachel promised me that if I kept Tanika with me, nothing really bad would happen. But without a word of a lie, between that appointment and her follow up visit, I had a car run into the back of my new car, I lost my wallet and misplaced my car keys. At our next meeting as I handed Tanika back to her, I told Rachel of my depressing news since being “blessed” with Tanika! She just looked at me with wide eyes and said “well, did you find your car keys?” I told her I didn’t but we did get new keys cut.

“Did you find your wallet?” I mumbled that I had found it eventually shoved under the side of the car seat.

“And, she went on, have you fixed your car smash?” to which I reluctantly confessed that the other driver had to pay. Rachel then threw up her arms in evidence, “I told you everything would work out if you let Tanika look after you, and she has!”

I was lost for words – just once again gob-smacked by the incredible faith of a young child. No doubt Rachel has put away all those childish things now she is a grown-up. But I do know we’re all better off with faith and hope and love in our lives. And if I’m honest, I do hope Rachel still has MY Tanika somewhere close by to remind her that our worries do come-to-PASS!

Anyhow, I’ve decided I want to be like Rachel, to play at life, to imagine the best and then to die young as late as possible!  Long live Tanika.