A Day of Mourning

Wow…nothing like following a day of joy with a day of sorrow. After the wonderful day helping Emma build her first snowman, today I had the honor of walking my daughter through her first loss. When the sunshine came out today, her “love” began to melt. Even though we had prepped her as much as we could, nothing could have prepared her for watching her beloved “fall over.”

This afternoon, she sat at the table eating her lunch while keeping a watchful eye on her friend. We watched her snowman lose her hat…then a button eye…and then, with a deep sorrow, she cried out, “Oh, snowman fall down!” She wept for her friend.

As she cried, I held her and again tried to explain that snowmen were not meant to last forever. I reminded her that we knew this would happen…sometime. Well, sometime was now “now” and all I could do was hold her. She kept asking “Why she fall down?” I told her that God made snow to be light and fluffy so it could blanket back yards, so little girls could throw snowballs and build snowmen. But He also made it fragile, so it would melt when it was warm. That is what makes snow…snow. It melts. Just as God gave us the snow to build her snowman, He also gave us the warmth of the sun that made it melt. He gives to us freely…and takes away as He chooses. He gave us a short time to enjoy her new “friend.”

I assured her it’s okay to be sad, as long as we remember that God loved us enough to let us have the snowman in the first place. I let Emma know she could look at her as much or as little as she wanted, and if she wanted, I would look with her. So numerous times this afternoon, she would grab my finger and say, “Daddy, we go look at snowman fall down.” And we would go look.

I couldn’t help be thankful…for this time with my daughter, as well as for a God who speaks even in the little things--the mourning of a snowman. First of all, just as I sought to comfort my daughter, we, too, have a heavenly Father--the God of all comfort--who desires to comfort us in times of loss. Secondly, we are not created to last forever. God has graciously and lovingly given us each day, and in His sovereignty has numbered them according to His will. We have but one chance to live this life and to love those around us--TODAY--because in the end…we all melt.