But it also meant answering some tough questions at 8:20 a.m. Monday morning. One of the graves we saw had a small white gravestone, with a little lamb engraved on it. Sophia asked some questions about it, and we discovered that a six day old baby girl died in 1886. Sophia didn't say or ask much about it at the time, but I know her (because she is a clone of me at that age), and I knew she would be thinking about that baby for a long time.
Sure enough, in the car on the way to school, she asked
Why did that baby die?
What was that baby's name?
Was the baby a boy or a girl?
How old was that baby when she died?
Why do you think she died?
Do you think it hurt when God picked her up?
Is it just the bones and the skin that go in the ground?
How come more babies died a hundred years ago?
Do you think she had brothers and sisters?
Do you think her family is still alive?
Were they happy to see her in Heaven?
Was she still a baby when they saw her in Heaven?
Do babies in Heaven cry?
Do you think her mommy had another baby after she died? (I didn't tell her this - the mom died 2 years later, at age 27)
But my favorite question came last, after I had answered all of her other questions (or at least tried to, as honestly but reassuringly as possible), as we were pulling into the school parking lot...
Can we pray for that baby and her family?
And we did. And Sophia let it go and was able to walk into her classroom with a smile on her face.
It makes me so happy that Sophia wants to pray for others and that she stops to pray throughout the day, rather than thinking that prayers are just for dinner or bedtime. When we see an ambulance, we stop and pray for whoever might be needing it. I am so proud of her for being such a caring, nurturing soul. Since she was a toddler, she has been so compassionate and empathetic.
Sweet girl.
2 comments:
Those tough questions have been spoken often in my house. But, they are great opportunities for teachable moments and for the growing of faith...and planting seeds. So good that you are there to listen to her questions and pray with her.
Blessings to you...
That's awesome, Vera... It's in those moments, for me, that I feel so blessed to be their mom. So blessed that God has entrusted me to answer all those hard questions. It's such an amazing responsibility! It's a blessing for me to hear about you and your little girl...to hear how you are carrying out God's purpose as her mother. And how you are ,through it all, shaping her and pointing her back to Him.
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