Children and the Reality of Death

This is a true story. I swear, it happened on Wednesday (12/12/07 7:58 a.m. to be precise). The kids and I were getting ready to go to school. I was helping Vivian get her jacket on. She said to me, "Mommy, do you miss Max?" Max, our beloved family pet cat, died about 2.5 years ago. We loved him, and buried him in our backyard. "Yes, Vivian. I miss him very much sometimes. But, I also try to remember that he was very sick just before he died, and I like to think that he is in a better place now." Christian, age 3, without skipping and beat, and with a puzzling look on his face, replied: "Under a rock, mommy?" It was really hard not laughing as I replied, "No honey, I meant with God in Heaven, sweetie."