"Until I was five, I had a guardian angel that would help me very much. My angel guarded me even at night when I was asleep. When my friends were visiting at my house, she played with us, but they could not see her. I told them about her, but they didn’t believe me. When they did not believe me, it made me sort of mad. I felt lonely. My angel looked kind of like a fairy, but she would blend into the house.”--Jessica, a 7-year-old dealing with the divorce of her parents.

“I only died for a minute or two and then I came back with the living. Now I am really alive. When I almost drowned, I saw four black ghosts who were bad guys and five good ghosts above the water with a bright light around them. Then I had to say, ‘Please, thank you, and I love you,’ so that they would let me move up to the good guys. Then the bad guys were gone and I felt safe.”--Bobby, a 5-year-old reliving his near-death experience when he nearly drowned at the age of three.

“I miss my dad. I saw him and he looked like Casper. Even though he looked like a ghost he did not scare me. I like it when I see my dad. I see him very often these days. Sometimes he looks like a ghost, and other times he looks normal. When I see him he moves around and around--kind of like flying.”--Taylor, 7-years-old, grieving the death of her father after a long illness.

Who are these kids Dr. Painton refers to as spiritual children? These astonishing young individuals grace every country, culture, color, and creed. Blessing us with their presence, they teach us important lessons from their goodness and creativity. Their torches are forever burning--even in the face of darkness and destruction as they unite our global family in hope, freedom, and peace.

Many of you may know them as your own boys and girls, students, clients, church members, or variety of others who enrich your lives. Many more of you will discover that you too, were, and still are at heart, spiritual children.