When you're a parent you can rarely be prepared for the conversations that are coming. I am not going to do the following conversation justice but to my recollection this is what Audrey and I talked about yesterday evening as we were gazing at the clouds.
A: "Daddy, when will Jesus come down from the clouds?"
D: (surprised by the question) "I don't know. I don't think anyone really knows for sure."
A: "But how come no one knows?"
D: "Because we just don't. Jesus went up to the clouds many years ago."
A: "When?"
D: "Thousands of years ago. Before you, and even before mommy and daddy, were born."
A: "But where were we before we were born?"
D: (this is where it got tougher) "We weren't born yet. We didn't exist."
A: "Where were we, Daddy?"
D: "You know how when mommy was pregnant with Gracie for 9 months and then Grace was born? But before all that Gracie wasn't here at all? The same was true for us. We just weren't here."
A: (again) "We weren't? Where were we then?"
D: (giving in to a bad explanation) "Well... okay. I guess if I think about it we were tiny little atoms, at least in some form. Kind of like little tiny dots. Does that make sense?"
A: "Mmm-hmmm. So can we go up to the clouds to see Jesus?" (the questions keep coming)
D: "Yes, eventually. When we get old. Remember how Gran passed away? He went up to the clouds. One day that will happen to us."
A: (putting it all into her own words) "So right now we're alive but when we get old we won't be alive and we'll be dead. So when we're 82 years old we can go up to the clouds to see Jesus?"
D: (smiling) "Something like that."
A: "Daddy - I think I see rabbit in that cloud up there!"
From there the conversation got easier...
