Sad times too

I truly believe that learning doesn't just happen with the books open and sitting at the table doing it. We recently took a trip to North Carolina to bring my son back to base for him to soon be deployed. I try and look at all this as learning opportunities for Samantha. As hard as it is we have to face reality of life. She has learned a lot about life through these sad experiences. She has learned to rely more on her faith. She prays all the time for her brother to return to us safely. She has learned that even though we don't want him to go this is life he signed up for so we just have to tell him we love him and miss him. She also has learned to smile through the tears. She has learned to hold onto him in different ways. Every night since we got back from NC she has slept with Nicks blanket. Telling me it smells of him and it feels like he is with her when she wraps it around her.

On our trip we saw some of the destruction of the tornadoes that hit there. So sad. We will be doing a small study on tornado's now since she is interested in learning how and why of it.

Not all lessons in life are easy and each new experience brings us to a greater understanding of this.

Samantha asks many questions and many tough ones to answer. She has been a little focused on death lately and its understandable. She is afraid of what will happen to her if we go. She was reassured to find out what our plans are. Then she wanted to know what will happen if she goes. She was glad to know we would miss her terribly. Then the big question what about her brother. The question we all avoid the question we all don't want to ever face but this little child my 6 year old has asked the tough question about a brother going to war. How do we face it all? How do we face the worse that can happen? We face it with faith. With faith in God, with many prayers and tears, with faith in Nick and his training, with faith in his level head. We face it with faith.......

we planted flowers on Abigail's grave this weekend. Sam talks to Abigail while we are in the cemetery. She likes to make her grave look nice. She then likes to look at all the other grave markers there. Her latest she wanted to know who will be buried with Abigail. and just how does that happen.

I believe that our society shys away from death, that we have removed ourselves from this reality. we shield our children from this. Its wrong. I think Samantha has a healthy take on it. She is saddened by her loss of Memere a couple of years ago. She is sad about the loss of Abigail and the sister she will never know until heaven. But she faces death and the losses with strength and with a face of reality that is life. Its a normal part of life. Not something to be feared. And just like a child she thinks of this for a short time and bounces back to her reality of life. To her playing and learning other new things thats out there to learn.