Recently I posted about the kiddo and her developing ability to express herself and ask questions that I sometimes don't know how to answer.  She's asked questions about reproduction and Granny's poor health.  She pretended her imaginary friend died after she heard that one of her friends had truly passed away.  I'm sure she's seen me shed a few tears this last week.  Sometimes she tells me she is sad.  Yes, circumstances have been a little tough lately, and the kiddo knows it and has seen it.

In the midst of all this, here is what we want the kiddo to learn. 

• We'd rather go through these times with God than without Him.
• We are called to heal the sick and raise the dead.  The kiddo didn't get to participate in the latter because she is young, but she saw her mama praying like a maniac this week - praying like I'd want others to pray for my family member.  And yes, I said raise the dead - we don't get to leave that part out.  We keep goin' for "on earth as it is in heaven" and we don't stop.
• It is not  God's will that her young friend is gone.  That might go against what some believe, but, heh, we just don't see a young life lost as somethin' Jesus would jive with.
• Questions are good, and it's okay to have unanswered questions.  But as our pastor says, we don't let those questions drag us down.
• Also, God can win with any hand; He can win with a pair of twos - another good one courtesy of our wise pastor.
• We don't live in discouragement.  It never helps us and it never will.
• We love and we love and we love.  We love those who are difficult, who are sick, who are mourning . . .. 
• We don't live in fear.  Perfect love casts out all fear.  So, we reside in our Father's love and operate out of that.
• We live as a community, a body, and we make sacrifices for each other.  We come together in times of celebration and sadness.  We help each other. 

 So, here we are.  Our little friend is buried, our Granny is recovering the best she can from her latest illness, and we keep on truckin' on together, with love and  hope and a whole lot of prayer.