Beans

The highlight of my Saturday was most definitely the memorial service for Beans. Beans, you ask? Yes, Beans. The dead frog that Li'l B found in the creek. In an effort to get him to resist playing with the dead (and rather smelly, I might add!) frog, I suggested burying him. While at first that idea was met with great resistance (after all, the ants live underground! They would get him for sure!), I managed to win B over by bringing out a small box and offering to help give him a proper burial. :-)



Brandon has only been to one funeral, but he remembered enough about it to know that graves need "signs" next to them, and that graves need flowers around them. He suggested that we "make up" a birthday for Beans, and that he and Beans should be the same age. Therefore, the paper gravestone we made for Beans records his birthday to have been February 13th.



B then asked me what people do at funerals. After giving a few ideas, B stood next to the graveside and offered up these "nice words" about Beans: "Beans loved to jump. He loved to hop. He loved the creek. And I loved Beans. Rest in Peace, Beans." (yes, I did coach him with the last line. I couldn't help myself!! And actually, the first time he got it wrong and said, "Rest in Beans." It was all I could do not to lose it. This was a very serious moment after all! :-D)



He ended the service by singing an adorable and sincere version of "5 Green and Speckled Frogs." :-) (After all, isn't that a most appropriate song for a froggy funeral?!) :-D



After the "service" was over, B would come periodically and check on me: Mom? Are you still sad about Beans, even though you don't have any tears? I told him I was ok, and to which he replied, "Oh, I am, too. I am still sad, though." The events of the day also spurred questions such as, "Where do animals go when they die? Do they have souls? Do they have spirits?"



In addition, the pre-service digging spurred the rest of the afternoons activities: digging holes for rocks, digging holes for leaves, digging holes for pinecones ... well, you get the idea. :-) Of course since I had shown such proficiency at digging a grave for Beans, I was invited to join in the digging fun. As I sat there digging in the dirt with my boy, he randomly said to Ellie and I, "I'm so thankful that I have a Mommy. And I'm SO thankful that she plays with me." As if my heart hadn't melted several times over already, he set me off again. What a sweetheart.

Could having a 5 year old boy be any more fun?!

Could I be more richly blessed?

R.I.P., Beans... :-D :-D