Chats with Monster about Heavenly Father and Heaven...

While driving home from a doctors appointment and shopping yesterday monster says to me, “Mom, where were we before we lived on Earth?” It is a question I can recall pondering as a child. Trying to determine for myself what I thought was true, and where my soul lived before I was on Earth with my parents. Hearing this same thought come from my son made me reflect on those times of innocent curiosity, and really appreciate where his faith is, right now.

Although the conversation wasn’t terribly long (really only took places over about a 5 minute period), it was pretty in depth, and was a quality chat about something near and dear to my heart. The rest of our conversation went as follows:

Me: “Well, I actually used to wonder that same question I was a little older than you are now though. I’m not certain, but if I had to take my best guess based on my scripture studies, and prayers. I’d say we lived in Heaven before we were on Earth.”

(After that I looked in the rearview mirror and loved the concentrated look on his face)

Monster: “I don’t remember heaven though, so I don’t know if I lived there or not.”

Me: “Well, do you feel Heavenly Father’s love for you?”

Monster: (Emphatically) “YES! I feel it a lot Mom, but I can’t explain it. It’s just like this nice ‘happy’ I feel. Like after we have a lot of fun. It's like this real special hug! It's awesome!

Me: “That is a very special thing to feel your Heavenly Father’s love for you. Do you think though that he loves you so much that he kept you in Heaven long enough to wait for me to be ready to be your mom?”

Monster: “OH YEAH!! I think so!! I think he took care of me before you were ready for me, and then when you were ready, he sent me to live with you. I just wish I could remember Heaven. Do you think I will remember it all when I get there someday? Like when it is time for me to go back to heaven, will I remember what it was like before I lived on Earth?”

Me: “I think so. I think the best way to know though is to pray about it, and to ask God to give you an answer, but be prepared, he may not give you an answer, but may just give you that hug!”

Monster: “Yeah, I will. Mom? Where do really bad people go?”

Me: “Wow Bud, I really don’t know. I’d imagine though, that people who are really bad have to do a lot more to be forgiven. I think ultimately they are forgiven, especially if they ask to be forgiven and have apologized.”

Monster: “How are they forgiven?”

Me: “Well, they need to pray, a LOT! They need to ask Heavenly Father to forgive them and show Him that they are truly sorry. Like if someone murders someone, do you know what murder means?”

Monster: “Yeah, its to kill someone, right?”

Me: “Yes, it is. If someone who has murdered another and later comes to realize how horrible it was, I think if they ask to be forgiven, if they apologize and truly mean it… God knows if you mean it or not, I don’t think he forgives you until you really mean it, but he is very patient and lets us have freewill to decide that.”

Monster: “Mom, I love God, but why did he let Jesus die?”

Me: “Sometimes others have to pay the prices for someone else. Its like if I go to have coffee with my friend and they forget their wallet, I will pay for them so they don’t miss out. Jesus paid for all of our sins, the mistakes we make, because God let’s us choose for ourselves. Jesus died so that we can be forgiven, but…”

Monster: (Interrupting me) “We have to ask though Mom, and mean it! Then He forgives us.”

Me: “Yep! Exactly!! So anytime you do something wrong, like lie to me, or don’t follow rules, things like that, you need to have humility, you know how I say ‘own your mistakes’, that is what God asks us to do. Own our mistakes and ask for forgiveness, we aren’t perfect, He doesn’t expect us to be.”

Monster: “Hmm… Ok… I think I get all that. God is awesome, and he is so smart! He sure knows what he is doing!”

Me: “Yep! That is for sure son, absolutely for sure!”

I really love that he is at an age where we can have these conversations. That he is bright enough to understand these words that aren’t yet part of his vocabulary (or asks me to explain them, and then starts using them) and process his feelings and interprets them for himself. It is pretty fantastic knowing what I share with him; he listens and really considers it for himself. I’ve always felt that our spiritual development is just as important as any other development! It is a comfort knowing he is maturing in his own spirituality. I love the well rounded young boy he is!

How do you share your beliefs with your friends, family, and/or kids? Do you ask them thought provoking questions or encourage them to start the conversation? Please share, I’d love to know any other ways I can help encourage more conversations like this.

We wish you much love, hope, happiness, strength and inspiration,

            Brittany & Monster

Making introductions....

Hello and thanks for stopping by! If you’re here again, welcome back, we’re so happy to have you! If this is your first time, welcome and thanks for coming by! I hope you like what you see and read and will become one of our regulars! In the spirit of getting started, I thought I’d give a more in depth introduction of the two us and share my hopes for this blog. So, here goes!

Firstly, I endeavor to be much better and more regular about my blog posts. Really if for no other reason than sometime years from now, Monster and I will have all these fun things documented. All of life’s ups and downs gathered like a time capsule of us.

That being said… Here is a bit about us, and why I call my son Monster.

I’m Brittany a 28 year old, single mom and recent college grad. I have my Associates of Sciences in Human Services Management from the University of Phoenix. It took me a very long time to complete school being a single mom, but I’m so proud of myself to have done so. My next step is to apply to some other universities and continue my education. I know that my schooling is just as important for and to me as it is for and to Monster. He sees the impact of a good work and study ethic and it will help him have his own study and work ethic.

For now though, life is pretty simple and has been pretty boring this summer. I had surgery June 19^th, 2015. It was my 8^th surgery and 8^th joint replacement, I had to have my foot reconstructed due to a lifelong battle of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). (More information can be found here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000451.htm) It is an on going fight against my disease and the only reprieve comes daily doses of heavy medications, monthly IV treatments, a skilled surgeon, a sharp scalpel, and medical/scientific advancements. It’s a reality I’ve always known, and really I can’t describe it any other way than, “It is what it is”. I’ve never been one to ask, “Why me?”

I’ve always believed He only gives us what we can handle, and if I couldn’t handle it, He would not have given me this burden to bear. I told my grandmother some years ago that in the game of life we are all dealt a hand, we can play it the way we see fit and make the most of it, some are dealt really great hands, others get mediocre or even terrible hands. What we can’t do is pass those cards back to the dealer (Heavenly Father) and ask for new ones. We play the hand we have and make the most of it. It has always been my philosophy on life. I choose everyday, no matter how I feel, to give it my best shot and do whatever I can to be happy and productive. Sometimes productive entails making sure Monster, myself and the dog is taken care of, and I relax. Other days it involves volunteer work, school work, homework, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, walking the dog, getting some fun in, taking care of plants, and on and on. The hard part, never knowing one day to the next how I’ll feel and what I can get done. More on this another time.

Now, as for Monster, he is nearly 7 and headed to the first grade in a few weeks. Yep, I’m feeling old, a bit sad, somewhat excited, a little anxious, but a whole lot of proud. He’s a pretty good kid, really smart, helpful to others, and me, incredibly loving too. He has this excitement and zest for life like no one I’ve ever known. He makes friends fast, just as my Grammy did. We always say, “She never met a stranger.” That’s very true to Monster also. Everyone becomes his friend, however lately I’ve noticed him throwing the “best” in front of friend when he refers to some friends. It’s very sweet and endearing really. Watching his friendships and relationships change in time. They are becoming more about the shared interests and shear fun of 6 and 7 year olds, as opposed to being friends because I’m a friend of the other child’s parent(s).

The nickname Monster is something I used a long time ago to describe some of my cousins or friends kids. It was always, and still is, a term of endearment. I call my son Monster though to protect his identity and preserve a bit of his anonymity. In a world where so much about us is so easily accessible, it is my hope that in using his nickname and limiting other identifiable information that he will remain safe and have the opportunity later in life to develop his own presence in the world. Decide what he wants to be known, or stay private.

While I fully intend to be as transparent for myself as possible, there is a lot I won’t share about Monster, his life, his friends, etc.

For example:

·      His name; if you know us personally, please do not use his name in a comment or anywhere on social media. You’re more than welcome to use his nickname.

·      Where he goes to school (I’m sure this is self explanatory).

·      Anything he doesn’t want posted about him or something going on with us/him.

·      His friend’s names. As you already know, I’m a firm believer in protecting these innocent kiddos. Out of respect to friends and their parents, I will use a nickname to talk about anyone who “adventures” with us, after I’ve received permission from their parent(s).

Over time this list may grow, or shrink depending on our lives, but for now, these are the main points.

Some things you can expect or anticipate from our blog are some of the following:

·      Accounts of our adventures, probably some pictures to go with.

·      FUN! Lots and lots of fun!

·      Silly tails of our lives and our traditions. I’m a firm believer that laughter only draws us closer, we love to laugh and do so often.

·      Recipes, I enjoy cooking & baking and try real hard to eat as healthy as possible. Monster is severely allergic to dairy so many of my recipes are non-dairy. If I share a recipe I’ll try my best to provide options for what I substitute so those that aren’t dairy free can make it as well.

·      The struggles of living with a dairy allergy and still trying to allow him to be a kid.

·      Books I love, books I recommend for kids, especially boys.

·      Tips, advice, or my opinion for handling a high-energy boy.

·      Fun things that I craft or we create together.

·      Our adventures with our Scout Elf come Christmas time.

·      Our story. Like my previous post details, our story was a really rough one prior to where we are now. My life has not been easy in many ways and I’ve had many obstacles I’ve overcome.

·      Who knows what else! If there is something you’d like to see, or something you’d like to know, get in touch and ask.

That is all for now, I think I’ll share one of my favorite recipes we’ve been enjoying lately. Thank you all for reading and joining along this adventure filled thing we call “LIFE”. It is a joy to have you and we look forward to you stopping back by soon! Until next time…

            We wish you much love, hope, happiness, strength and inspiration,

            Brittany & Monster