Yesterday, we were driving home from gymnastics and he randomly asks me, "Mom, where does God live?"
"God lives in heaven, J. He lives there with Jesus. It's awesome - the perfect place."
"Well, where is heaven?"
"We think of heaven as being up in the sky. It's above the clouds."
Silence for a moment.
"Mom, does God have cars?"
"Well...cars are pretty cool things...so sure. There are probably cars in heaven."
"And God has a car?"
"Maybe. That seems pretty cool."
Silence once again.
"Mom. God can't have a car in heaven."
"No?"
"No. He can't have a car. He has an airplane. Cars can't drive in the sky."
Woah. Good point. So practical. Love it.
And then he went on to ask if he could have his costumes with him if we all went to heaven. He was very concerned that he wouldn't have any costumes. I told him he could take them because heaven is a place of happiness and if his costumes were part of him being happy, then they would be there (don't quote me on this or jump into a lecture on the truths of heaven here... he's three.)
He then asked, "But Mom, would I lose them if I dropped them?"
It took me a second to understand... costumes in heaven...in the sky... would they fall through the clouds if he dropped them? Again - good point. So funny.
"No, buddy. You wouldn't lose them. They would just be there and they would be safe. Nothing can fall out of heaven."
That seemed to appease him.
"So, we can all have costumes in heave?"
"Yep."
And then I realized the root of these questions - Halloween. It's been a bit of an obession for him since that big night of candy hoarding. I think he's concerned that he couldn't have Halloween in heaven (oy...a whole other conversation) but really, the issue is the candy. What he was really asking: will there be candy in heaven. What a funny guy.
Here's the funny man in his Halloween costume. He assured me that he was a nice pirate.
I so appreciate these moments from J-man. He is so smart and funny and creative. I love hearing his thoughts and processing life with him. And I hope to embrace these moments... because I know it won't be long before Mom no longer holds the truth and authority on all things (which will probably be a very good thing in a lot of ways).
I love my J-man. Some days are tough with this guy. He's stubborn and has a red-hot temper.
But I see such strength and power in him - such a big heart. Such compassion. And I pray - daily - sometimes a million times a day, it seems - that God will guide us as we shepard him... to shape his will without breaking his spirit - because he is such fun. He is such a joy. And it's good to stop and remember this as often as possible-because it goes toooooooo fast! So I'm taking time today to pause and just soak in my sweet J-man. I love you, my little buddy.
