Friday, April 3, 2009

Flying Cats and Heavenly Visitations

The setting is inevitably the same..church, Publix or our morning commute.
I am continually both moved and entertained by Isabel's view of life.
During this morning's drive to school she started listing things that fly.
I was half-tuning her out (such a bad mother!) as I heard the following...

Isabel: Blue jays fly. Ducks fly. Cardinals fly. Airplanes fly. "Gooses" fly.
(She just can't get that irregular plural form down yet.)

And then I hear, "Angels fly", followed by, "Cats fly."
At this point I decide to give her my 100% focus...
(well, as close to 100% as is possible during a rush-hour morning commute)
and tell her cats don't fly; they don't have wings.

There is about a three-second pause and then I hear
"Well, Bart Bart has wings. He's in heaven."

It took me a few seconds to process what she said... and then tears came to my eyes, not only because of the childlike simplicity of her theology, but because it has been over a year and a half since my little Bart Bart died. Isabel was only 20 months old and had been home only 6 months. Since Lulu arrived 4 months later and has been a part of her life for a much longer period, I was pretty surprised that she even remembered Bart. For Isabel, it was just natural to include her little kitty in a list of things that fly.

For me, it was a gift.. of memory, of love and of grace.

Isabel and Bart Bart at 18 months






Isabel and Bart Bart at 20 months










Isabel and Lulu (her Happy Second Birthday present)

4 comments:

Diane said...

I know how you feel about Bart Bart. It's been 12 years since my darling Sly passed away and I still tear up sometimes when I think about him! Neither my daughter or my husband had a chance to know him.

Alyson and Ford said...

So sweet of her, she has a great memory of Bart.
So precious.
You have done well!

Alyzabeth's Mommy for Six Months

Laurie said...

Now you made ME cry. How sweet.

Bev said...

Oh that was so sweet!! What a memory they have right?