I have to write this down because I never ever want to forget it. I want to remember the conversation, the way it made me felt and the exact moment for the rest of my life.
Last night while sitting at dinner at mom and Steve's Lilly asked Steve "Steve, who is your daddy". He told her that his name was Beverly. Lilly asked where he was and Steve told her that he died and was in Heaven. I can't remember the exact conversation but, we all agreed that a huge can of worms had just been opened. Once dinner was over so was the conversation.
Tonight, while riding in the car out to Dad and Diana's house the car is silent and Lilly says "Mom, when is Steven's dad coming back from Heaven?" Dave and I looked at each other knowing exactly where this was coming from and knowing that this had been on her sweet little mind. I told her that when you go to Heaven you stay there, you don't come back. She then asked "Will I go to Heaven, Mom". I told her Yes! One day! This was the beginning of a very long question answer between Lilly and I about Heaven, Jesus, Dying and many other things.
Lilly: "How will I see you in Heaven, Mom?"
Me: "I will be in Heaven too!"
Lilly: "Do you think Steven will see his dad in Heaven, Mom?"
Me: "Yes!"
Lilly: "Where is Heaven, Mom"
I told Lilly that Heaven was in the sky. She wanted to know why she couldn't see it. She was very concerned that Jesus would get hurt up in the sky. She even said "Mom, if I could fly I could go up there and get him". After going back and forth for about 10 minutes she said "Mom, I think the clouds are covering Heaven and that's why I can't see it".
We got to Dad and Diana's house for dinner, and Lilly was playing with her toys. We thought the Jesus and Heaven conversation was over. Lilly was playing at her toy vanity, pretending to blow dry her hair. She had put a hand painted wooden flower on the vanity table. She turned to Dave and said "Do you like my flower? My husband gave it to me. He isn't here. He is in Heaven." Dave didn't know what to say so he said "OH!"..... We left it at that!
On the way home (a 40 minute drive) the car was silent. Then this sweet little voice from the back seat says "Mom, how did Steven's daddy die?" We told her that he was old and had gotten sick. She told us she didn't want to get old and wanted to know how he got sick. We tried to explain to her that sometimes when you get old you get sick like Memaw is getting old and she is sick and sometimes Grandaddy gets sick because he is getting old. She said "Yeah but Mom, Grandaddy doesn't go to Jesus when he is sick he goes to the doctor". Ha! Lilly then wanted to know how you get to Heaven. We tried to explain to her that Jesus takes you to Heaven. She asked "Does Jesus come to your house to get you?". How do you explain to a three year old that your body doesn't go to Heaven just your soul goes to Heaven. I didn't know so, I told her just that. Thank goodness she didn't ask "What is a soul?".
The car was quiet for a while.
Then all of a sudden that sweet little voice from the back says "Mom, I love church!". I said "Great"! I told her we would go to church this Sunday. She said she wanted to sit with us in "big" church. She wanted to know if Jesus would be there. We told her Yes, Jesus is with you all the time. She asked "Mom, is Jesus going to sit next to me". Then she asked "Mom, do you think Jesus will want to come to our house after church and see my puppy and my zhu zhu pets?" ha ha ha!!!! So sweet!!!
Some more of our conversation...
Lilly: "Mom, what does Heaven look like"
Me: "Heaven looks exactly how you want it to look."
Lilly: "Well, I think I want Heaven to be pink because pink is my favorite color."
Lilly: "Where is Jesus?"
Me: "He is in your heart"
Lilly: "Where is my heart?"
Me: "Your heart is in your body"
Lilly: "Oh! Under my skin?" "Mom, I have a heart on my place mat at home!"
We ended the conversation tonight when we got home by reading some stories in her bible and in true 3 year old fashion she got mad when we couldn't read the entire bible! We said her prayers and she ended them with a firm "AMEN!"
Last night while sitting at dinner at mom and Steve's Lilly asked Steve "Steve, who is your daddy". He told her that his name was Beverly. Lilly asked where he was and Steve told her that he died and was in Heaven. I can't remember the exact conversation but, we all agreed that a huge can of worms had just been opened. Once dinner was over so was the conversation.
Tonight, while riding in the car out to Dad and Diana's house the car is silent and Lilly says "Mom, when is Steven's dad coming back from Heaven?" Dave and I looked at each other knowing exactly where this was coming from and knowing that this had been on her sweet little mind. I told her that when you go to Heaven you stay there, you don't come back. She then asked "Will I go to Heaven, Mom". I told her Yes! One day! This was the beginning of a very long question answer between Lilly and I about Heaven, Jesus, Dying and many other things.
Lilly: "How will I see you in Heaven, Mom?"
Me: "I will be in Heaven too!"
Lilly: "Do you think Steven will see his dad in Heaven, Mom?"
Me: "Yes!"
Lilly: "Where is Heaven, Mom"
I told Lilly that Heaven was in the sky. She wanted to know why she couldn't see it. She was very concerned that Jesus would get hurt up in the sky. She even said "Mom, if I could fly I could go up there and get him". After going back and forth for about 10 minutes she said "Mom, I think the clouds are covering Heaven and that's why I can't see it".
We got to Dad and Diana's house for dinner, and Lilly was playing with her toys. We thought the Jesus and Heaven conversation was over. Lilly was playing at her toy vanity, pretending to blow dry her hair. She had put a hand painted wooden flower on the vanity table. She turned to Dave and said "Do you like my flower? My husband gave it to me. He isn't here. He is in Heaven." Dave didn't know what to say so he said "OH!"..... We left it at that!
On the way home (a 40 minute drive) the car was silent. Then this sweet little voice from the back seat says "Mom, how did Steven's daddy die?" We told her that he was old and had gotten sick. She told us she didn't want to get old and wanted to know how he got sick. We tried to explain to her that sometimes when you get old you get sick like Memaw is getting old and she is sick and sometimes Grandaddy gets sick because he is getting old. She said "Yeah but Mom, Grandaddy doesn't go to Jesus when he is sick he goes to the doctor". Ha! Lilly then wanted to know how you get to Heaven. We tried to explain to her that Jesus takes you to Heaven. She asked "Does Jesus come to your house to get you?". How do you explain to a three year old that your body doesn't go to Heaven just your soul goes to Heaven. I didn't know so, I told her just that. Thank goodness she didn't ask "What is a soul?".
The car was quiet for a while.
Then all of a sudden that sweet little voice from the back says "Mom, I love church!". I said "Great"! I told her we would go to church this Sunday. She said she wanted to sit with us in "big" church. She wanted to know if Jesus would be there. We told her Yes, Jesus is with you all the time. She asked "Mom, is Jesus going to sit next to me". Then she asked "Mom, do you think Jesus will want to come to our house after church and see my puppy and my zhu zhu pets?" ha ha ha!!!! So sweet!!!
Some more of our conversation...
Lilly: "Mom, what does Heaven look like"
Me: "Heaven looks exactly how you want it to look."
Lilly: "Well, I think I want Heaven to be pink because pink is my favorite color."
Lilly: "Where is Jesus?"
Me: "He is in your heart"
Lilly: "Where is my heart?"
Me: "Your heart is in your body"
Lilly: "Oh! Under my skin?" "Mom, I have a heart on my place mat at home!"
We ended the conversation tonight when we got home by reading some stories in her bible and in true 3 year old fashion she got mad when we couldn't read the entire bible! We said her prayers and she ended them with a firm "AMEN!"
1 comment:
Michelle, what a wonderful mind your little girl has! This was an amazing story :) Well done to you and Dave for handling it perfectly!! xo
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