shocked me still and speechless

So today while watching the boys, I took them to the park. All four of us went up to the park and played in the sand and the sun and on the playground and on the pavement. It was wonderful — downright frabjous, really.

After a long time spent, with no nourishment and very thirsty boys, I decided to get them Italian Ice (I know, coolest babysitter ever – they hadn’t even had lunch yet). As we were sitting down in the shade to enjoy the yummy treat, out of what seemed like nowhere, Matthew (7 years), asks me,

“Miss Aimee, do babies ever die in their mommy’s tummy?”

A question about babies in mommy’s tummies didn’t shock me — we had talked about babies in mommy’s tummies at some earlier point while I watched them. But the actual content of the question shocked me.

I sheepishly stuttered and tried to find the right words. I ended up telling him that yes, sometimes babies do die in their mommy’s tummies — and then proceeded to tell the story of how my baby brother almost strangled himself with the umbilical cord while in my momma’s tummy. He then said to me,

“I’m glad I didn’t die as a baby in my mommy’s tummy. But if I did I guess I would go to Heaven and grow up there! And then I would be watching you having Italian Ice here at the park…”

and the whole time i could only think of one thing — “you are giving voice to all of those voiceless who never get to live because they die in their mommy’s tummies… because their lives are taken out of selfishness…”

amazing, the wisdom we receive from the mouths of babes.

all i could think was “thank you, God.”

I felt like i was being spoken to… straight up, from those li’l chilluns who rest safely now in the arms of God.