My son and I were sitting in a CVS parking lot last Friday afternoon waiting on my husband, when I started asking him about his day at school. He responded with his usual ramblings…Garrett did this…Owen did that…we ate pizza for lunch…oh, and we talked about why God takes people from us.

I asked more about the last statement he revealed. Ethan talked about how God decides when it’s time to die and that as people get older it’s just their time to go to Heaven. I agreed with him and then came a question that I was not prepared for.

“Stephanie was young, so why did God want her in Heaven right now?”

It’s hard to know what to tell a 5 year old when it comes to death. I’ve struggled with that immensely. He’s so young and impressionable, that I certainly don’t want to scare him. Afterall, it is my job to protect him.

My earliest memory of death was in second grade when my grandfather passed away. I’m not sure I totally understood it then, but I accepted the fact he was gone from our daily lives. My exposure to loss after that was minimal and in a way naive. I was shielded from grief until I was much older.

Ethan has already been faced with more trauma than any child should be exposed to. After all, he still recites vivid details from the car accident when he wasn’t quite 2 years old. I often forget that the tragic ordeal didn’t just happen to me, because sometimes memories can be more hurtful than injuries. From the backseat he saw more than I did.

Nine months after that accident, we buried my cousin (his God-mother) and my grandmother. He doesn’t talk about their funerals or any specific details, but there are moments when he’ll ask a question or make a statement that leads me to believe he does remember.

I explained as best I could, with tears forming in my eyes, that sometimes people get sick and they get so sick that God can’t even help them get better. So, instead of letting them suffer and be in pain, He brings them to be with Him. And although it’s hard for us because we miss them, we know they are watching over us and we’ll see them again.

Then came something I will never forget. Ever.

“Mom, I’m glad that when that lady hit our car and it spun around and you were hurt so bad, that God didn’t decide you needed to go to Heaven then. I’m sorry you miss Stephanie, but I’m glad we have an angel looking over us. She won’t let you get hurt again.”

I wasn’t even able to respond. There are times when Ethan has such an insightful heart, that I know he will go on to serve this world in a capacity beyond my expectations. (Even if he does pick his nose and eat it.)

It’s a Valentine style giveaway. So in case your sweetheart forgets, maybe you can win something for yourself here.

My increasing boredom from the staph infection from hell has encouraged me to participate in the The Bloggy Carnival again. Besides who doesn’t like a contest?

This one is simple. Leave a comment between now and February 1. I will choose a winner by February 3. Be sure you leave your e-mail address so that I can notify you. (If the winner does not respond within 2 days, I will select another random winner.) The item will be shipped anywhere within the U.S or Cananda.

So what is up for grabs? Lovely good smelling bath stuff.

This Valentine Soapsicle is made with moisturizing shea butter and glycerin. It has a wonderful scent of rose and vanilla. It also has chocolate cocoa added that will leave your body smelling great and feeling silky smooth.

Dead Sea Mineral Bath Salts in 4 sachets are just what you need to relax. You get Lavendar Vanilla, Champagne, Cucumber Melon and Sweet Pear. The mineral salts will melt into your bath and the result will be ultra moisturized good smelling skin!

In case you do not win these items, I found them on Etsty from LoveLee Soaps and at Kristen’s Cosmetics. Both have very cool homemade stuff.

We have had this phone number since May of 2000. That is almost 8 years. For the first year we received more calls for the Morris family than ourselves.

After telling numerous friends and family members of Merlin and Colleen that this was no longer their phone number, we assumed the calls would end. We were wrong.

Although they come in spurts, we still receive calls for them. The odd thing is that over the past 8 years the Morris’s have either neglected to tell important contacts their new number or they are purposefully still handing out our number. I’m really unsure which.

When it started, there were odd calls at all hours of the night and when we explained they had the wrong number the conversation went like this:

Us: “Sorry you have the wrong number.”
Them: “What? This isn’t XXX-XXXX?”
Us: “Yes, it is but this is not the Morris’s.”
Them: “Well when in the hell did they change their number?”
Us: “I’m no expert, but since May 2000 this has been our phone number.”
CLICK.

Then, came the phone calls from businesses. They would leave detailed messages on our answering machine and over the years we have learned a lot about the Morris family. For instance, Merlin collects and sells stamps and coins, and Colleen gets her hair done at a local salon every Tuesday (if she remembers her appointment).

They at one time were very late with their car payment (maybe because they never got the message). Merlin bounced a check recently at the dry cleaners and Colleen was offered a part-time job with a grocery store last fall. I wonder if she took it?

Their kids did not visit this past Christmas because they had to work. I wonder what happened when they were expecting them for dinner and they didn’t show? They have a dog named Classy and bought a new Chevy car last year. Merlin is on disability due to a work accident he had a few years ago while employed with K-Mart. His lawyer still believes they can reach a settlement in his case.

What I do not understand is why after so many years, we keep getting phone calls for them. There must come a point when you are updating your contact information or someone new asks for your phone number, so why are they still handing out ours?

My husband was so frustrated at one point he wanted me to start handing out their phone number, because we found it clearly published in the phone book. But I kind of like getting my messages and not someone else’s. In some ways we have found humor in the situation. Every so often we call the Morris’s and ask for us.

1 Roll Of Glad Saran Wrap = $2.47

2 Glad Trash Bags = $.38

1 Roll Johnson & Johnson Water-proof Tape = $3.99

1 Tank Of Hot Water = $1.83

Taking a hot shower = Priceless

You know what’s truly humbling? Yesterday, I showered for the first time in 10 days. To do so, my husband had to wrap my arm (from finger tips to arm pit) in Glad saran wrap. Tape the ends. Wrap the same arm in a Glad trash bag. Tape the ends. And add another trash bag for good measure. Tape the ends.

We repeated the same process on my leg from the knee down. There is nothing quite like being naked with an audience of your son and dog. Privacy around here is minimal on a good day.

Somewhere in the wrapping process of one of my limbs, my husband noted that some people use saran wrap for kinky stuff. Not too funny to someone who’s completely naked and trying to preserve some of her dignity.

He didn’t think it was too kinky that I asked him to shave my armpit later.

As a side note, Props & Pans is giving away a pair of Polliwalks shoes for kids. I reviewed a pair and they are super cute. Go over and leave a quick comment to enter sometime between Tuesday and Saturday!