From the mouth of babes

We all know and agree that children say the funniest things. I love reading blog or Facebook posts from parents documenting the hilarious thoughts and sentences coming from the minds and mouths of their children. Creative pieces such as the one below are also pretty awesome.

(Dear Mom of this report card, I can empathize with you. N/A would most likely definitely be listed under the category of cooking dinner if my children were scoring.)

source 

Yet along with the hilarious, children also say the sweetest, dearest things. They are so much wiser than we give them credit for, and their minds are always thinking, remembering, and even drawing hope from tragedy.

Over the past few months several friends have shared conversations they have had with their children about our son, Chance, and how he is now in heaven. These stories, these conversations, bring us so much joy and indescribable hope, friends.

Please don't ever stop sharing them with us.

Last week as I was hoping in the car to take Clara to school, I received the following text from my longtime childhood friend, Emily. She described a conversation she had the night before with her son, Conner.

Emily: I would call you . . . but I can't without crying. So I'm sorry! But I wanted you to know that last night when we were praying, Conner started crying after. Like major. He said he was scared to go to heaven without anyone he knew. All of a sudden he says "Wait!! We will know someone in heaven! We will know Riley and your friends baby boy!" He then recounted every detail of the service for Chance. Thank you for sharing that day with us."

Me: Oh my goodness! That is the best. It's stories like this that bring me such joy and peace and hope!! So thank you for sharing. Squeeze Conner for me!

Several weeks after Chance's funeral, my friend Lindsey texted me with the most beautiful picture that her daughter, Ava, painted as she processed the service.

Ava led the prayer at their dinner table that particular evening and after her usual words, she said this: "And God, we don't know why Ms. Brittnie's baby had to die. Please help us. We are sad."

Oh to have faith like a child.

There are so many other stories such as these that I could share. Stories of children processing death while also gaining the understanding that while death is sad and seems scary, they do not have to fear. They do not have to fear because they now know a child that went on to heaven before them. Heaven becoming real and big and beautiful in the minds of little babes.

If this isn't beauty from ashes, I'm not sure what is.