Memories

I often think back to what my earliest memory in life may be, and I cannot place it.  There are certain things that I do remember as early as the age of 4, maybe even earlier.  This leads me to wonder what types of things my kids will remember.  Will our silly games or rituals eventually fade away in their minds, or will they one day look back and smile thinking about those fond memories? 

Last week, my great Aunt Marilyn passed away, and the kids and I were fortunate enough to make it back to Chicago for her funeral.  Dozens, or possibly even hundreds of questions were asked by Madeline on the drive up about why Aunt Marilyn was sick, why the medicine could not work, and why she died.  Throughout the few days we've been staying at my parent's house, Madeline would be sitting still, looking down into her lap, and acting very somber.  I asked what was wrong.  She said she was sad and thinking about Aunt Marilyn.  I am honestly a bit surprised to see how much my Aunt's passing has affected my 5 year old.  Maybe this is a usual reaction for this age; I am just new to it.  It was very sad, as her mother, to see her so saddened and so in tune with her feelings in this time of grief.  Will she remember this years from now?

Even though other important people in our lives have passed away,  this seems to be the first time she was able to comprehend what had happened.  The world lost a beautiful, selfless, loving, kind, and gracious lady.  I hope that whatever memories Madeline will have of her, will be of those aspiring qualities in a person.  Of course I would like Travis to know those important virtues as well; he's just too young to understand what's going on right now.

Since we live far from our family, this event proved to be another bonus to us for homeschooling.  If the kids were of age and enrolled in school, it would have been far more difficult to travel here and stay for a week to attend her funeral without fear of truancy.  Instead, we can pack our school bags and get some work done wherever we end up.  This week, however, we've just taken a few days off.