One afternoon a couple of weeks ago, my son Vigil (4) and I were home after he had been at pre-school. We were taking off jackets and talking about his morning. Out of nowhere, he asked, “Mama, will all the people on earth die?”
I said to him, “That’s a big question for such a little boy.” He persisted. So I said, “Yes. Everybody dies.” “Then how does the earth get new people?” he asked. I told him, “You’re a new person. If you grow up and have children, they’ll be new people, too. And you’ll grow old and die.” Vigil said, “And then they’ll grow up and have children, and then they’ll grow up and be new people?” I said, “Yes!” He said, “Ooohh, that’s how it works!”
Today at lunch Vigil asked, “Mama, will we live forever?”
“Our souls do,” I replied. “But will we die?” he asked. “Yes,” I said. “Will our souls die?” “No,” I said. “But we can step right through them,” he said. “You can?” I asked. “Yeah.” “How do you do that?” I asked. “You just… step through it,” he answered. “Can you see your soul?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said. “What does it look like?” I asked. “It’s the same shape as you. And it has hair. And it’s dark white. Can I have some water?”