a hidden blessing

So a few post back I said I would tell about Emma and all the questions she had from "Grandpa Eddie going to see Jesus" Well, I am sitting here watching the Super Bowl and playing on the computer(so not watching the TV so much!) and I was thinking about Emma and all her questions...well everything she has taken in over the last few weeks! So...I am sitting here amazed at her thoughts, her detailed thinking...here is some of the conversations...let me set it up first. We waited until we knew for sure that Eddie would be passing away (he chose to discontinue his treatment)...then we went to Emma and told her that Grandpa Eddie was very sick, not like she or Ian get sick, but a different sick and that he was going to be going to see Jesus soon. We coupled that announcement w/ a book that Alex read to her (what happens when we die by Carolyn Nordstrom) and awesome book that explains death very well...it talks about being sad and missing the person, about burying them and about going to heaven if you believe in Jesus...it talks about heaven and how wonderful it is...that it is better than your birthday or Christmas morning! So that was step one and she didn't ask many questions at that time...only if "Gran" (Alex's mom) was going to be lonely. We told her she would be sad and that we would need to give her extra special hugs. Later that night before bedtime, Emma and I had another talk about it...we talked about who she knew how was already in heaven (Aunt Kelly's dad and PawPaw Ken) we talked about Jesus and how much He cares when we are sad and I asked her if she would be sad...she said no :)...but that Gran, Mimi and Granddaddy would be.
A few days later we were going by Cathy and Eddie's house and on the way she asked me if Grandpa Eddie was in heaven yet and I told her no, not yet...she wanted to know how he was going to get there...I told her that Jesus would take him...and then she asked.."BUT HOW WILL THEY GET THERE?" Her AWANA verse for the week was "The word of the Lord is right" so I asked her what the word of the Lord was....she said....the bible....and I asked who the Lord was....she said...God/Jesus....and then I told her that the words in the bible were to us, from God, and that the bible tells us that if we believe in Jesus, that when we die we will go to heaven, that I didn't know how we would actually get there, but I knew we would, b/c the word of the Lord is right! She excepted that answer! WHEW~ Next, we had to tell her that Grandpa Eddie had gone to see Jesus, her response was "oh, that's wonderful, he's all better now?" I wanted to sit down and cry at her child-like faith, she only saw the process as a good thing, not a bad thing! She and Ian stayed at my mom's the next few days, at one time she asked my mom "Do little children go to heaven?"(again, amazed at how much she thought this through) Mom told her that sometimes little children do go to heaven, but most of the time little children grow into really old people before they go to heaven!...I must admit, I'm glad mom got that question and not me! lol! call me chicken! On the morning of the funeral I had to drop Alex off at the funeral home early and then take the kids to Susan, who was watching them while we were at the funeral and there was a grave yard across the street (the one Eddie is now buried in)...again the questions started...the first was "mommy, what's that place w/ all the pretty flowers?" and I told her it was a special place where people who had died were buried...she asked if Grandpa Eddie was going to be buried there...I said yes, she wanted to know if that was where Daddy and I and Gran were going that day...I said yes, she wanted to know if Jesus was going to be there! I told her yes, and I could see in her eyes she was thinking...(if Jesus is going to be there I don't want to miss this!) She asked if we would be able to see him, I told her no, but that He would be there b/c he lived in my heart and her daddy's heart, and in Gran's heart and PaPa (Gary) and Grammy (mom) hearts and that Jesus would be there b/c He was there w/ us. She wanted to know how to see Jesus...I told her we could see Him through the way that people acted, if Jesus lived in someone's heart, then He should shine through!~(convicting myself in the process I might add!) to that she said "Sometimes I do bad things....I tell Jesus I'm sorry when I disobey" I told her that everyone does bad things, because we are all sinners....and that is why God sent His Son to die for us...to which she piped in..."on the cross" I went on to tell her that b/c Jesus died on the cross for us that we could ask Jesus to come live in our heart, that we needed to know that we sin and that we do bad things and that only Jesus can forgive us for our sin! Her response was that "she needed to do that soon" I knew this meant she was going to think about all of this information.
About a week later, she came back to me and out of the blue she told me, "I asked Jesus into my heart"...when I questioned her she said she didn't say much, but I know she was been thinking...I haven't pushed her, I know she is young, and I will wait for God to open the door to talk about it again. I know that at 3 1/2 she only has a little understanding, but I also know that she in her own way has an awesome faith in God and Jesus. This whole issue started as an introduction to death, but it turned into an awesome chance to present her w/ the living truth!...it has been awesome! and exciting!