Lessons in Life

Over the past 3 days, I have had to have several conversations with Austin about a topic that is difficult for many to understand - death. On Saturday afternoon, one of his classmates lost her mom after a 2 year battle with pancreatic cancer. She was only 32 years old, the same age as me. When I told him about her, he was quiet and not really sure what to say. He was a little nervous about going to school today. I wasn't sure what to make of his reaction.

When I picked him up at Renae's today, the first thing he said when we got in the car was, "Mom, we talked about Allie's mom at school today, so I don't want to talk about it anymore". Although, I wanted to talk about it, I took my cue from him. I kept quiet about it for awhile, then asked him what Mrs. Buntrock had said to them. She had read them a couple of children's stories about death and dying, and they had talked about the stages of grief that Allie may be experiencing. They talked about things that they could say to her, and as a class, decided that they would make cards for her.

Then he really opened up, and we had a great conversation. Austin and I talked about the fact that even though Allie's mom isn't here on earth with her anymore, she will always be watching over her, just like Grandma Clemen is watching over him. We talked about cancer, and how anybody can get it, there are medications and surgeries to help, but sometimes those things don't work. Then the questions began:

"Will Allie ever see her mom again?"

"Will she forget about her?"

"Is she sad?"

"What about her brother and sister, are they sad?"

"Mommy....what if.....?"

Luckily, he never finished that last question. I did my best to answer the others in words he could understand. As we sat together and cried for Allie and her family, I was reminded how precious life is. At any moment, things could happen that could turn our entire world upside down. Enjoy every moment, live every day like it may be your last.