Deep Sleep

This Robert Munsch's book about a mother raising a child and growing old herself apparently got Sienna thinking. She asked me today what it means when somebody dies. This is what her mother, I had to say.

When somebody dies, it's like that he goes into a deep sleep for ever and never wakes up. Where is he going to be? His body that you see now will disappear. He will become something like soil, or he will be part of the soil lying under a beautiful tree. No, people will never see him again except you can see him in the dream or in your thought. That's right, when people grow old, they die. Young people will have more time to live. Yes, mommy will die before you and Daddy too. Hey, don't be sad. Mommy will live long long time to keep you compnay. I know you will be sad, you will cry and cry. But you can still love me by living your life well. That is the only way to make me happy.

Sienna said, “When you die, you must leave me a card. I will hold it against my heart and miss you.” I promised that I will. That was pretty much the end of the conversation. Quite an examplary case of a realist raising a realist.