Regan

A week ago, Regan, a toddler in Amelia's speech school took a turn for the worse. She had retinoblastoma (cancer of the eye.) She had been diagnosed at 7 weeks old but had been doing ok at the start of the school year. I have never known a child that has died and it was a painful experience. The parents had tried so long to have a child and this was their only child. I began to dread that beeping sound that comes on your phone when you have an incoming email because her mother kept posting updates through caringbridge. The news just kept getting worse. Her parents seemed so strong of heart and faith.
2 lessons have come from this tragedy as I reflect:
1. Children should be preachers :).
It did not take my kids(4y and 5y) long to figure out that mommy was upset. "Why are you sad?" Friday night, when they were going to remove Regan from the ventilator, I sat down with my children and explained that Regan would die and go to heaven. My kids started crying which let me know that they are starting to understand empathy. Although I know that death is never really understood, I don't even get it. I say kids should be preachers because my kids had such pure comments and such thought provoking questions. Colin said, "Why can't she go to heaven, let God make her better, and then come back down?" Kendall said, " but she will be in our heart but we can't see in our heart....I want to see her now."

2. Always stay open for signs from the spirital world.
My daughter, Amelia, is in Emily’s class but I volunteer in Regan’s class. The other day , I was sitting at circle time and watching the kids take their picture out of the “home” folder that hangs on the wall and put it in the “going to school” folder. It hit me then……..every week Regan’s picture has sat in that home folder since she has been sick and it dawned on me that she would soon “be home.” And with her passing, I took a picture of that hanging house with Regan sitting in it because SHE IS HOME. ( I have posted this picture in the blog.)
I believe Regan will be like an Angel and whisper in the ears of our hearing impaired children. I believe that if you allow yourself to have an open heart/mind you will experience those who have pasted. They float among us.

When Regan left this world she was blind in one eye, hearing impaired from chemo, and paralyzed from surgery. I think Amazing Grace was written for her, "Amazing Grace, I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see. Play in Peace Regan.
Scarlett