Forever Eight Years Old

Whether you're early along in Life After Life or already finished, no doubt the character of Sadie has made an impression. A former teacher and grandmotherly sort, she has the gift of being able to see to the heart of people and understand what makes them tick. Rachel, another resident, describes her this way:

"Sadie is in a wheelchair so she doesn't venture far. She has a business she has created where she makes old photographs come to life, and she makes things that never happened happen. She said it was a natural progression since she has been doing this in her head her whole life." p. 124

Though her photographs often involve the fantastical-- she's created a series for a woman named Toby, putting her everywhere from the Amazon to the surface of the moon-- Sadie's real talent is instinctively knowing the very real fears and frustrations of her friends.

As Sadie puts it, "People get old, but in the eyes they might as well be eight-- always they are about eight...She knows the hearts of eight-year-olds and believes when all is said and done and hard times come, that's how old we are in the heart-- forever eight years old." p. 37



Do you think Sadie's assessment rings true?

Who were you at eight years old?

Is there anything left over from that time in your life that points to who you truly, organically are, beneath the grownup exterior?