A moment in time.

We hadn't really decided about when to tell our daughter, Magda, about The Child.
We had talked about how very very very long 9 to 12 months is to a person who is only nearing 4. That's a good fourth of her life span. And our youngest son, Mordecai, is only nearing 2.  It's half his life.

In other words, It's a very long time to ask them to wait for a big event.

This morning, though, Charlie had opened the video we have of The Child and, on a whim, started it playing when our daughter was in the room. Upon hearing the talking and laughter, She ran to the computer to be able to see the video.

"Who's that boy?" She asked.
"That's *The Child." Charlie answered. "He lives very far away."
"Where's his Mommy?" I kid you not, She asked this, tugging on my heart strings.
"His Mommy couldn't take care of him so She let him live in this place. It's an orphanage. It's where children live when they don't have a Mommy or Daddy to take care of them." Charlie said.
"He doesn't have a Mommy? or Daddy?" She asked.
"No, he doesn't. That's very sad. You have a Mommy and Daddy who love you very much."

A moment passed. A quiet moment where I wasn't sure what she was processing from the conversation.

"That's my brother." She said with finality.
"That's my brother, *The Child."

I had to turn away. Take a deep breath.  Wipe a few tears from my cheeks.

Charlie said, "Yes, baby. We hope he will be."


She asked to watch the video a handful more times then she was off to play.

So I suppose that's how we're going to handle the introduction of the idea.
Slowly.
Gently.
Over time.

-"Who's that boy?"
"*The Child"
-"That's my brother."
"We're working on that, baby."

I love her open, loving heart.
I love that Charlie wasn't afraid.  I love how he navigated the conversation with her.
I love having him to hold my hand and soothe my frayed nerves through this.
I love having Magda to run through the house chasing, tickling her until she snorts.
I love having Mordecai to blow raspberries on my arms and tell me elaborate stories with the 20 words in his vocabulary.

The little moments.
It's easy to lose them when we are busy. Working. Gathering paperwork or preparing for the sales.
It's easy to overlook what's important.

The little moments are important. The ones that aren't planned.
Spur of the moment.
On a whim.
Beautiful moments.

"That's my brother."

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*We have started calling him by his proper name around here but I'm not able to share his name online, still.