Wes was my husband's uncle that sort of took the place of his father after he passed away seven years ago. The relationship between the two of them had grown from strong to impenetrable. My daughter and I had followed suit. We all loved him a great deal and today has been a very hard day for us, especially for a little girl who had thought of him as a grandfather.
After a long, hard talk (and crying session) with my daughter, she has come to the realization that it's going to be alright. She has cried herself to sleep for the past few nights. My heart goes out to her so deeply. Even though she knew he was in the hospital, she didn't think he'd pass away. She wasn't prepared for this kind of a Christmas present. I've told her to look at it this way: He can spend Christmas with his wife (who passed away 7 years ago) and his brother. He can also see his mother and father that he hasn't seen in 30 years. I tried to get her to look at it from Wes' point of view. How would she feel if she had been separated from us for so long - wouldn't she be excited to see us and spend eternity with us?
I don't bring religion into my columns because everyone has a different philosophy of what life after death brings. I only bring it up in this article, because I want to convey the gratitude I have for my beliefs. I have been brought up to believe that after we die, we will all be together again with Christ and God. Because of these beliefs, death doesn't carry the dread that it does with some people. In a way, it's just the start of a new, ever-lasting life eternal. This is what I tried to get a 9 year old to see. It was tough, especially when she hurts so much right now.
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