Avery recently celebrated her 5th birthday with a fun party at Storyville Station. She truly enjoyed the Princess Tea Party, the games downstairs, and the slide. Mostly, it seemed to me, that she enjoyed spending time with her friends and family. This is the first year that we allowed her to invite children outside our small circle of friends. Because of that we had an unusal make-up of people, but everything was perfect nontheless.
One great thing about this 5th birthday was that Avery chose to donate her gifts to the Children's Hospital Hope and Cope Program. Avery certainly did not come up with this idea on her own, but embraced the idea when it was mentioned. We hope to raise a child that enjoys giving to others, that understands that what we have is a blessing from God, and takes pride in making others feel special. Tomorrow is the day that we will take the toys to Children's Hospital. She is so excited about doing this and can't even describe the enthusiasm that she feels.
I will post pictures soon of her birthday and of time spent at Children's Hospital.
Till next time...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Just up there being DEAD!!
The other night after saying our nightly prayers, Avery tells me "We forgot to pray for Nanny". (Nanny is Avery's great, great grandmother that recently passed away at the age of 91.) So we stopped, prayed for Nanny, and proceeded to our nightly rituals. Avery, however, wanted to make sure that we knew that Nanny was still in the ground "in her casket" but was confused how she was also in heaven.
I attempted (very good I might add) at describing death in this way: "Avery, do you remember when you had that dream about flying in an airplane? Even though, in your dream it was like you were in that plane, truly you never left your bed. Your brain was in the dream but your body was still right here in this bed. Dying is sorta the same way. Nanny's body is still in the ground, still in the casket, still covered in dirt. But her spirit, her heart, her soul, her brain...all of those things are up in heaven with Jesus and everyone else."
While I know this analogy is a bit off base spiritually, it seemed to have made sense to her. Her body language and facial expressions made me think that this actually got through to her. I felt pride in myself thinking that I had finally explained it in an understandable way. I liked the way this conversation was going.
Avery stopped and asked, "What do you think Nanny is doing right now?". Well, knowing how much my Nanny loved to cook and understanding that she was the best cook ever, I responded by saying "Oh, Avery I bet she's up in heaven cooking up some good 'ole chicken and dumplings". "I bet she's fixing some biscuits and chocolate gravy because that's my favorite" stated April.
Avery responded by saying "Well, I think Nanny is just up there being dead".
Not knowing how to respond, we proceeded right to bed.
Maybe, just maybe, the conversation wasn't as good as I had thought.....
I attempted (very good I might add) at describing death in this way: "Avery, do you remember when you had that dream about flying in an airplane? Even though, in your dream it was like you were in that plane, truly you never left your bed. Your brain was in the dream but your body was still right here in this bed. Dying is sorta the same way. Nanny's body is still in the ground, still in the casket, still covered in dirt. But her spirit, her heart, her soul, her brain...all of those things are up in heaven with Jesus and everyone else."
While I know this analogy is a bit off base spiritually, it seemed to have made sense to her. Her body language and facial expressions made me think that this actually got through to her. I felt pride in myself thinking that I had finally explained it in an understandable way. I liked the way this conversation was going.
Avery stopped and asked, "What do you think Nanny is doing right now?". Well, knowing how much my Nanny loved to cook and understanding that she was the best cook ever, I responded by saying "Oh, Avery I bet she's up in heaven cooking up some good 'ole chicken and dumplings". "I bet she's fixing some biscuits and chocolate gravy because that's my favorite" stated April.
Avery responded by saying "Well, I think Nanny is just up there being dead".
Not knowing how to respond, we proceeded right to bed.
Maybe, just maybe, the conversation wasn't as good as I had thought.....
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