Big things

9/11/11 The morning of the 10th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11. I'm letting the boys wander the house while I look through pictures and stories commemorating the day on the computer. Leif comes over while I'm looking at a picture of the Statue of Liberty with the World Trade Center buildings burning in the background, and he asks me what I'm looking at. I'm crying a little, so he knows something is very serious. I decide to tell him the very basics: "Mommy's sad because 10 years ago some bad people knocked down these buildings and a lot of really good people died."

Walking through 9/11 memorial at Kennesaw Mt.

That evening we visited Kennesaw Mt, where hundreds of flags were planted in honor of the fallen. I told Leif that these flags represented all of the good people who died.




9/12/11 We're driving in the car, and Leif says: "Mommy, tell me the story of the burning buildings again." So I tell him again about the bad people, and tell him about all of the good people who died and sacrificed on that day and in the following weeks to help rescue people and clean up the area, and now start building again and planting trees, where the buildings used to be.
Leif picks up on a word: "Mommy, how do we sacrifice?"
Me: "Sacrifice is when we choose to do something good even though it may cost us everything. Like Jesus- he sacrificed his life so that we can live with him forever when we die."
Leif: "Is he still dead?" (good question, Leif!)
Me: "No! He came back alive again after 3 days. He conquered death- he's the only person to ever do that because he was a man, and he was God."
We continue talking, and our conversation continues on death- what happens when we die. (I never thought that I'd have such deep conversations with a 3 year old, btw)
"When we die, we get to see Jesus. And Jesus will give us a new body that will never hurt, and we'll never be sad, and we'll never grow old. We'll get to live with Jesus forever. And mommy and daddy will be there with you, and all the people you miss in NJ. We'll get to live with them and never have to say goodbye."
With excitement Leif asks: "So, when can we die?"

Kennesaw Mt. 9/11 memorial

Now I realize I've sold the concept of death pretty well here. Maybe too well. And yet, I wonder if that shouldn't be all of our responses. We're all afraid of death because it's unknown, and because for many it involves a painful decline, but Leif doesn't yet know to fear death, he only knows hope and trust.  No wonder Jesus loved hanging out with little kids. I sure do.

Mark 10:14, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."