My Cloud

Had the sweetest conversation with my four-year old this week.  For a while now, he's really had lots of questions about heaven.  In true strongwilled fashion, he has decided that he doesn't want to go to heaven.  When we say prayers at night, he will lie there and ponder heaven and say, "Mama, I don't want to go to heaven."  I've reassured him that heaven is a beautiful place that he would love to be in.  It's so hard to put something so big into an idea that a little one can comprehend.  I usually end our bedtime conversation by telling him that we won't worry about heaven right now and just have a fun time here together. 

I know his hesitation for heaven comes from not wanting to be separated from us.  We have declared age four as the fearful fours because it seems that he worries and frets over the tiniest things sometimes.  So, of course the thought of living somewhere other that where his mama and daddy may be is terrifying for him.  This is coming from a child who won't even think about spending the night with someone right now because he would have to be away from us. 

So, Cam was sitting at the table and had already started eating his supper while I was still stirring in the kitchen fixing something else for one of them.  Just out of the blue he said, "Mama, I'll go to heaven." He said it in the same tone that he uses when he decides to do something we've asked him to do after a huge protest. 

Just like those small things, I tried to react in the same way that I do to those.  I said, "I'm so glad you've decided to go.  You know it's a wonderful place." 

Then a few minutes later he added a thought and asked, "Will you ride on my cloud with me?" And I told him I would be honored to share his cloud as we ride up to heaven together!