The next evening, my wife, my mother in-law, and I were with Gramps all night. He passed away as the new day began. Driving home from the hospital knowing that two little faces would greet us at the door was almost unbearable. We gathered everyone together and told the kids simply, sadly, that Gramps had died and gone to heaven.
Keenly attuned to her distress and sadness throughout the day, Jake’s natural instinct was to try and comfort his Grammy. Soon after our family meeting Jake asked, “Grammy, what are you going to do without Gramps?” At the very moment that we were reeling in the silence of our grief, Jake’s words seemed to turn us gently deeper into our own hearts.
Later that day, Jake asked Grammy if he would still be getting Gramps’s train set. “Yes,” she said. Momentarily delighted that he’d been anointed to carry on the family tradition Gramps had started—setting up the tracks around the Christmas tree—Jake quickly grew quiet. As if suddenly realizing that his gain was going to be Grammy’s loss, Jake said to her, “I’m going to make you a train set, Grammy.”
its really touching story….feeling sad……kids will say wats in their heard….kids r really loveble….thanks for sharing…
John.. This is such a touching piece. My heart goes out to you all and your family. We often forget what the
kids will say, think or feel and how strong they can be for us. . So thank you for sharing.. Hugs to you ..and my love to Alberta Renee