Must be doing something right

So today I found out that a very, very good friend of our family- heck, he is as much family as any of my siblings are to me- named Mikey, died. While I know that he is in a better place and that I WILL see him again, such things news is still heart breaking to hear. Mikey was only 19 and had recently been stationed for his first army assignment to the 173rd Airbone in Vicenza, Italy. The only information I know at this time is that he was hiking and somehow misstepped and fell to his death. I was stunned by the news but something even harder was telling my kids, who loved their uncle Mikey very much.

Sean really doesnt understand and I knew Lucas was too young to understand either but the girls would. But how does one really explain to a 7 and a 5 year old the concept of death? I pondered this before just plunging into it. Kristin was the only one home since we'd just taken Jessica to a girl scout cookie booth sale. I told her simply that uncle Mikey had died. (I had no info at the time as to how.) Krissy's face fell but she didn't cry, like I had expected.

"He's not gonna come back to life then, right?", she asked at first. (We'd been telling girls that people don't get numerous lives like in video games. When game over came in real life, than you did not just try again and come back to life.) I said no, we don't come back to life like in video games. "But what about when jesus comes again?", she asked next. This stopped the tears I had coming from my eyes and stopped me dead in my tracks. "Yes when jesus comes again then he will be resurrected.", I assured her, a bit astounded at the moment. "Than he's ok mommy. He'll be ok cuz he's in heaven. And when jesus comes again we will see him again.", she said, simply and confidently. Wow maybe she really has been listening the past 7 going on 8 years. I guess Don and I have been doing something right.....