It is hard trying to explain to young children no matter what belief system you have what heaven is. Where is heaven? How do we get there? And why do we go there? My father in law died Thanksgiving morning of this year. He had been ill and we were worried that he might not make it, but he seemed to be getting better. In fact the doctors were talking about taking him out of ICU the day after Thanksgiving. So when we got the call at 4:30 that morning that he was dying, it came as a shock. He quietly passed away before anyone could get there. So that put us in the position of having to tell the two youngest children ages 6 and 4 that grandpa was gone. Gone??? Where??? He went to heaven to be with heavenly father, he will be happy and peaceful and he will be with his mommy and daddy and all those who have gone before him. But why? Because that's life that's how it works. My 4 year old says "Will grandpa still have Christmas with heavenly father under the ground?" I explained about our souls going to God and that our bodies stay here but that concept makes no sense to them. They just know that grandpa won't be coming back and that they can't talk to him or see him ever again in this life. What about all the plans and promises they had made before he got sick? I wonder how the kids feel inside about that. My 6 year old daughter is having a really hard time. She asks all kinds of questions and crys at school and my 4 year old has been acting out. I know he does not realize that this is because of his pain and sadness from his loss that he does not even understand yet. Him and grandpa will never work on that old car or have a sleepover in the new sleep over room like grandpa promised, and he just does not understand why it will never be. I wish there was an easy way to explain death, I can't even grasp it sometimes. It makes no sense, we are born, we live we die. So then what is the purpose of all of this right? Well don't look at me cause i don't have the answer and neither does anyone else! Life is to complex with so many little intricate details to not have been planned by some grand master, the one who gave us life and breath, the one who created our souls. His plan or his idea of all of this I am sure makes sense to him and is not supposed to make sense to us mere mortals. But our love for each other, our children, our parents, our spouses and God's love for us and ours for him connects us in so many ways. And that connection I believe is where heaven is...follow those trails of love through our lives from beginning to end and it will lead us all back together again someday in a beautiful and joyful reunion!
