She Now Knows

I could never find a box large enough to box all that happened this weekend! Yes, we found out we are having a baby brother. Yes, it was fantastic and all things great, but that wasn't the only big happening in the Campbell household this weekend.

As our Sunday was winding down, we all sat around the couch to talk about the week. It was then that Charly, who will be ten in a few weeks, asked me to come talk to her upstairs. I knew something serious was up, but I wouldn't have guessed she would come to me again with a question she came to me about nearly two months back. As she held back tears, and after long minutes of waiting, she finally asked me about Santa and then started sobbing.

I always have a prayer in my heart when we have conversations, so as to answer her questions in a way that is best for her. I was so glad I was paying attention during our primary lesson at church because that is the first thought that came to my mind. The kids learned about the Plan of Happiness just hours before. How does Santa fit into the Plan of Happiness? It was actually a really lovely and smooth conversation we had, when we talked about The Plan of Salvation and how Christ came to earth and was resurrected after he died, Charly could see how the idea of Santa being around on the earth forever just didn't fit into His plan. When we die, we go live with our Heavenly Father and even Santa doesn't escape that wonderful fate. By the end of our discussion, the worry left my heart and she was smiling. She is genuinely OK with what she now knows, and I even think she feels a bit more special knowing she is in on it with Nate and I. I was so thankful in that moment, and now even, for the guidance our Heavenly Father gives me on a daily basis. Yes, this wasn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things but for Charly this conversation could have been detrimental. When she came to me with this question a couple of months ago I wasn't ready to answer it in this way. I remember reading a letter about how to tell kids about Santa when they asked, but something about it just didn't feel right for Nathan and I so we delayed the answering a little bit longer. I had no idea it was still heavy on her heart.

Charly is such a gentle and understanding girl, she has a deep understanding and connection to things that catch me off guard. She just gets it, she always has. I love that about her. While her deep emotions can be overwhelming sometimes, I'm also so grateful for the ways she feels and thinks. Even this morning as we were discussing different climates, Piper mentioned that Santa lives where it is very cold. Charly and I caught eyes,  and then she winked and smiled. Oh, what a blessing! I always had in my mind that this day would come and it would be horrible, but I think for my little Charly and I, it was a day to strengthen our testimonies a bit more and to build a closer bond together. Just to top the sweet moment even more, I read this touching blog post from her this afternoon. I asked her to write a paragraph about something exciting that happened this weekend. I thought for sure she would write about her little brother. Instead, this is what she wrote.....
 http://charlybrownstown.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-mothers-story.html