What can you say?

Yesterday when I went to pick Josie up from school her teacher met me.  The moment I saw her on the sidewalk I knew something was up.  I told Josie to get in the car with Sarah and Mrs. McK filled me in.

Apparently in science they were studying fish and as part of that the watched the movie Finding Nemo.  At the beginning of the movie Nemo's mother dies.  Josie could not handle it.  Mrs. McK said she was shaking, crying and I am so grateful for this insightful, sensitive woman, she removed her from the classroom where she could grieve in private.  She was able to miss her sister and not have the other children watch her cry.  I am so glad her teacher was understanding of what she was going through, and more importantly took the time out of her day to let me know what happened.

Josie sat and read a book about penguins while the other kids watched the movie.

We talked about it at dinner that night and Josie said the part of the movie where the mother fish died just brought back to many scary feelings from the day that Marie was called home.  What can I say?  How do I ease that pain.  She's only six.  How can I tell her that day, that morning, that phone call, that ride home, those are my own nightmares.

I just told her that I love her so much and Jesus does too.  And I love Marie so much even though she doesn't live here anymore. It makes me so sad that Josie was so upset...  we seem to just be getting hit by aftershocks lately...  What can you say to a little girl missing her sister so much?  What can you say to explain that we are so far outside of normal?  What can you say?  Sometimes, a lot of times, in my life lately there just don't seem to be words...

Josie in July...  looking so very small...