A Kid's Intuition

Jocelyn, Molly, and I went to visit our friend Heather for a few hours this morning. It was going to be a hard day for her because people were coming to pick up all of Everett's medical equipment. I wasn't super worried, but perhaps a little apprehensive about whether the girls - namely Jocie - would really be a help or not. This is Jocelyn's first experience with death, and as is typical of most 3-year-olds I think, she is processing it through talking. Anytime I even mention the Allans, she will say, "Mommy, Everett died." Yes, he did, but we don't really need to remind his mother of that over and over again. And kids are so unpredictable. The last few times we've moved, one of the girls was around 1 year old. She would know that things were changing or not the same, but obviously couldn't fully process what was going on. So they would act up or be clingy or in some way act differently than normal. 

Somehow it seemed this morning the girls instinctively knew to act normally and be themselves. They played with toys, chased around Aubrey, the Allans' new puppy, and LAUGHED. Oh my gosh, how they laughed! At one point Molly and Jocelyn were each belly laughing at some silly game or funny joke. Rather than noticing the sad energy in the room and being weirded out by it, they acted like nothing was amiss. It brought a smile to my face to see my girls handling a new and strange situation so well, and I hope that the sound of their laughter eased the difficulty of Heather's day.