My Son and Harry Potter
(If you haven't read book 7 don't read any further - I am pretty sure that all 3 of the people who read this are just fine)
So, our dog died this weekend. She had been with us since just before I got pregnant with Ethan, so she has been there with him since the day he came home from the hospital. We had a bit of a scare last year around this time and Madeline had to have emergency surgery...she was ok, but she just never quite got back to her old self. Her death was devastating for Ethan - he just fell down and cried and has been crying on and off since we told him on Saturday.
Well, tonight we finally got every thing lined up to bury her. (We had tried to find another way to dispose of her body because our back yard is very rocky, but Ethan was extremely upset with some of the other options.) James ended up digging a shallow hole in our flower bed. We need to add a bunch of dirt to fill it in anyway, so it was the best option. He bought dirt to cover her with. When James asked if Ethan wanted to help he said yes. The only thing James really did after this was help Ethan lift the bags of dirt to bury her. Ethan used his hands to scoop the dirt on to her covering her. When she was covered James and I suggested that we were finished, but Ethan was not satisfied. He used his hands and then a trowel to pack the dirt down and put more on top. He took his time and made sure that she was very covered. He said he wanted it to be "hard" on top, but I had to explain to him that it would take time and the elements to really make it that way. When he was finally finished he found a stick to mark her grave.
As he sat there, covered in dirt, burying his beloved dog I was reminded of when Harry chose to bury Dobby without the aid of his wand. Ethan and I haven't quite made it that far in the book. We have been too busy with school stuff to get much leisure reading in. But I am so aware of God's timing in this. Ethan wasn't ready to hear about Dobby's death. It wouldn't have meant much to him before. Now he has intimate knowledge of the pain of losing something you care deeply about. It has been a sad couple of days around here, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. I am moved to tears by the emotion in my son. I am awed by his desire to get down in the dirt and bury his dog properly. I know that God will heal his heart but that he will never forget this experience. I thank God that Ethan has been allowed this experience to learn about loss in a way that will be easier to recover from. And I thank God for being the God that loves His creation and sent me a son with such a compassionate heart, so that in this loss I am also blessed.
So, our dog died this weekend. She had been with us since just before I got pregnant with Ethan, so she has been there with him since the day he came home from the hospital. We had a bit of a scare last year around this time and Madeline had to have emergency surgery...she was ok, but she just never quite got back to her old self. Her death was devastating for Ethan - he just fell down and cried and has been crying on and off since we told him on Saturday.
Well, tonight we finally got every thing lined up to bury her. (We had tried to find another way to dispose of her body because our back yard is very rocky, but Ethan was extremely upset with some of the other options.) James ended up digging a shallow hole in our flower bed. We need to add a bunch of dirt to fill it in anyway, so it was the best option. He bought dirt to cover her with. When James asked if Ethan wanted to help he said yes. The only thing James really did after this was help Ethan lift the bags of dirt to bury her. Ethan used his hands to scoop the dirt on to her covering her. When she was covered James and I suggested that we were finished, but Ethan was not satisfied. He used his hands and then a trowel to pack the dirt down and put more on top. He took his time and made sure that she was very covered. He said he wanted it to be "hard" on top, but I had to explain to him that it would take time and the elements to really make it that way. When he was finally finished he found a stick to mark her grave.
As he sat there, covered in dirt, burying his beloved dog I was reminded of when Harry chose to bury Dobby without the aid of his wand. Ethan and I haven't quite made it that far in the book. We have been too busy with school stuff to get much leisure reading in. But I am so aware of God's timing in this. Ethan wasn't ready to hear about Dobby's death. It wouldn't have meant much to him before. Now he has intimate knowledge of the pain of losing something you care deeply about. It has been a sad couple of days around here, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. I am moved to tears by the emotion in my son. I am awed by his desire to get down in the dirt and bury his dog properly. I know that God will heal his heart but that he will never forget this experience. I thank God that Ethan has been allowed this experience to learn about loss in a way that will be easier to recover from. And I thank God for being the God that loves His creation and sent me a son with such a compassionate heart, so that in this loss I am also blessed.