Lessons in Life, Through Death

Have you ever tried explaining death to a small child? It’s not as simple as you might think. There are a lot of questions involved, and it’s difficult to put emotions aside to answer them all honestly.

Grandma K (J’s grandmother) passed away recently. This was a Grandma that R1 had quite a bit of interaction with. We took her to the viewing. This was her first time seeing a deceased person that closely. (When my Grandma P passed in Dec, we didn’t go up close to the casket while it was still open, she knew her body was in the big box, but she didn’t really see it) I tried my best to prepare her for what she would see while on the way to the mortuary. Leave it to a child to provide the comic relief at such a somber event. Grandma J took R1 up to see the body, which was lying on a table with her lower half covered with a sheet, and explained to R1 that she was in heaven now with all the angels. R1 looked down at her body for a minute and asked “All of her?” Grandma J said, “Yes honey, all of her, she’s in Heaven now.” R1 looked at her body again and shook her head. “Just her legs are in Heaven, because the rest of her is still here.”

It was just the thing that Grandma J needed to hear in that moment. To be able to bring laughter to someone grieving is a talent. Seeing a smile on the tear stained face of my mother in law was priceless. I’ll forever remember the image of my mother in law holding my daughter in the funeral home crying and laughing at the same time.

I truly believe that children are God’s way of helping us find smiles and laughter during even the darkest times.

Rest in Peace Grandma, we’ll all miss you.