Warning...this may be a rather lengthy post...

I have a little boy that ponders the mysteries of life...quite often. When people say, "You can see the wheels in their mind cranking" this would apply to him. I'm quite certain there are some grown-ups that don't think of the things he does. His questions about death started about 2 1/2 years ago...so around age 3 1/2. They started out simple enough like, "Where do your body go when us die?" (his language not a typo) There are even some things that he has said that I wonder if he knows more than he is letting on...like he has some faint memories of pre-earth life. Those are things that I will not share here, but suffice it to say, I have thought long and hard on how best to answer some of his questions that are appropriate for his age.

Tonight, we were running a few errands. (I know, what fun on a Friday night!) We were listening to some Christmas music on the radio. I don't usually do a whole lot of this before Thanksgiving, but I love to hear him sing along in his own way, so I tune in when he's in the car. The song that was playing was "Mary Did You Know". If you are not familiar with it, the song talks about the great things Christ will accomplish while he is on earth. In the middle of the song, he asked, "Mom, when I die and get my body back later, do I get to come back and live with you guys?" So many things went through my mind such as: this kid likes me so much he wants to hang out with us for a long time, he needs to know that it might be a while before his spirit and body reunite and we may not be in our same old house, doesn't he know that he will want to be with his eternal companion and not his parents? and last but not least, this kid is always talking about death. So I answered him by letting him know that yes, we are a forever family and that when Mom and Dad were sealed in the temple, he was sealed to us, even though he was not with us yet. To this, he sought clarification, "So I can stay with you guys forever?" I answered a joyous yes! This is what I am thankful for today. I am thankful I have the gospel in my life...for a variety of reasons, but today for the fact that it gives me some of the answers to my precious son's questions and that it is a roadmap for me as a mother. I choked back the tears and told him how thankful I was that I know we can be a forever family. I then said, "Jameson, I love you." He replied, "I know Mom."