Where Are We Going?

This certainly is a blogging week, and in reality a more serious noted one.  I just HAVE to tell my little story from yesterday....

I work as a nanny for a little three-year-old girl named Eliza.  She is fantastic!  Even at her worst behavior it's not that bad and she is simply adorable.  Her parents have definitely raised her right in that she doesn't believe in hitting and and using "mean words," such as "butt" or "brat."  Haha!  She really is a good little girl and I can see how blessed her parents are to have her in their life.

Let me preface the following story by saying the family I nanny for has different beliefs than I do religiously.  They're not LDS and that is totally fine by me.  I all for believing what you want and having the power of agency to choose your beliefs for yourself.  I don't look at them as anything but amazing people whom I have come to love very much.

Yesterday, while I was driving home from the park with Eliza, she asked me about the afterlife.  I'm not kidding.  Here is this three-year-old in the backseat talking about her friends grandpa who passed away and asking what happened to him.  I panicked a bit simply because I didn't want to over-step my bounds in "religious territory."  I had no idea what the parents really believe (now I do) and wanted to be respectful... However, here is this little girl begging for an answer and literally saying the words, "What happened to him?  Is he really gone?"

I thought for moment and then said, "No, E. They'll see him again in Heaven - it's okay."  The questions continued though... "Linze?  What's heaven?  We get to live again?"  Yep.  It really was possibly one of the most tender moments in my entire life.  It reminded me of when I talked with Nico about prayer and how awesome that was for me.  I decided that with Eliza honesty was the best policy and I'd tell her what I believe to be the truth and let her parents know so they can tell her differently if they'd like.  She was asking for answers, so I gave her what I know to be truth - other than I opted to not talk to her at all about hell.  "Well, Eliza, heaven is our other home.  We have a home here on earth, but we have a home in heaven too.  It's where we came from and will go back to after we pass away.  So you shouldn't be sad if anyone dies because you'll get to see them again."  She sat for a moment and said, "So, if something happens to you or daddy or someone... I will see you again.  I like that."

I know - the sweetest thing ever.  Little kids say funny things ALL the time, but those tender moments are what make me most excited about being a mom in the future.  It makes me less scared about trying to teach my future children the gospel.

The conversation continued with, "Who's there in heaven?"  I talked to her about God and she asked if he was related to us.  I replied, "Well, you know how you have daddy here on earth?  Well, he is your Father there and he watches over all of your us just like your daddy does here on earth."  She got excited and said, "That's who we pray to!"  It was just a really precious moment for me to share with her, even if it's not what she grows up believing in the future.

I am just SO thankful for the knowledge that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and who I get to see again, and that families are eternal.  I get to keep my family and be with them forever, and that is amazing to me.  I am thankful for prayer and the power we have to talk to Him, and how it can build our faith and comfort us.  I have been studying Faith over the past few days and then I saw the following clip:


Have faith.  Know that there is a Father in Heaven who loves you and that you also have a Savior who lived and died for you... and lives again.  I have been struggling with "sweating the little things" in life lately, and worrying about things over which I have no control.  In tough times, turn to Heavenly Father and he will comfort you - I know that's been my case.  I know that the following quote is fact:

"Everything will be okay...and if it's not okay, it's not the end."  

- Paulo Coelho

And even at the end, I know it's merely a new beginning. 

*muah*

Song of the Day:  I'm thinkin' I should throw out another Christmas jam soon... I simply adore Christmas music, so we gotta show this genre some love.  However, this particular song is WINTER, but not Christmas... I do hold out in listening to it till mostly around this time of year.  It's called "Winter Song," by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson.  Enjoy!