A Brother's Love

I started this post a few weeks ago but never got around to finishing it until now.  I haven't really felt like blogging lately mostly because I'm just SO tired.  I'm physically and emotionally exhausted.  When I had some time to write,  I just wanted to lay on the couch and take a nap.  All the shock has worn off and we are just exhausted from the whirlwind of the past month and half and what we have gone through.  I know that there are a many layers of grief and this is just one of them that is hitting us the past few weeks, just exhaustion.

After Callie died, I was very worried about Cooper.  It was hard to not only grieve for myself, but also grieve for him along with trying to be a good parent.  I knew he would be devastated about Callie since they spent every minute together and he adored her.  For their young age, they were exceptionally close.  Cooper has always had a very kind and compassionate heart, which has played a big part in his role of big brother.  It was so easy for him to care deeply for her and love being with her.  He is also very sensitive and has a hard time adjusting to change.  I thought this tragedy would be so hard for him to understand and it would destroy his little heart.  Thankfully, I was wrong...

Many people ask me how Cooper is doing. Surprisingly, he's doing really really well.  He has adjusted to the dramatic and sudden loss better than I could have ever hoped for.  The first 2 weeks were very hard and there were some rough moments, but after that he has been great.  The hardest moment we had was just a couple days after she died.  He woke up one morning asking about Callie. We explained to him again about how Callie died but that she is in heaven with Jesus.  He then laid on the floor and starting sobbing.   A very genuine cry of grief and a cry that I had never really heard him cry before.  As he was crying he said that he wanted to die so that he could be with Callie in heaven.  It was absolutely heartbreaking.  We tried to comfort him the best we could and Justin talked to him mostly as I just cried with him.  About 5 minutes later he bounced back and was over it just like a normal kid.  That moment was so hard to watch, but also I felt somewhat relieved to see him go through a moment of grief as it helped us know he is really understanding.  That was the only moment we have seen him truly grief over the loss of his sister.

I know there were/are many people praying for Cooper.  I was told many times that they were praying specifically for him and the Lord has done a work in his heart.  As I mentioned in a previous post about the viewing, I was so surprised to see how mature Cooper responded and how he seemed to truly understand what was happening when he saw her.   There is something so true and real about childlike faith.  The Lord gives children this understanding faith well beyond their years.  Cooper knows she is with Jesus in heaven and I believe it has brought him comfort.

Cooper does talk about Callie a lot and mentions her almost everyday which brings me joy.  There was a time when I felt so sad that Cooper seemed to have moved on so quickly and was doing so well.  I almost felt like he forgot about her, though I know that is not true.  I am SO glad that he is doing well and has adjusted to this tragedy better than expected,  but I also didn't want him to just move on and forget her.  I want him to always remember her and have special memories of her.  The other day, he was pretending to play with Callie.  It was so heartbreaking and so sweet all at the same time.  He mentions her name in passing a lot.  He will see something that was hers and say "that's Callie's"  or "Callie loves this".  He used to say things like "I want to play with Callie again"  or even ask if Callie is coming if we go somewhere, but as more time has passed,  he understands more and doesn't ask those type of questions.    Just this morning he was singing a song that he made up (something he does regularly with his guitar) and he was singing something about Callie and Jesus dying on the cross.  I couldn't understand all the words, but it was the sweetest song.

The first few weeks after Callie died, we naturally cried a lot and all the time.  Poor Cooper has such a sweet and sensitive heart that he always stops what he is doing when anyone cries and comes over to the person and usually just looks at them with compassion and sometimes ask if they are okay.  We would respond with we are just really sad because we miss Callie.  Sometimes he would say that he misses Callie too.  Other times he would say, "it's okay Mommy, Callie is with Jesus".  So sweet. We still cry a lot, but we are able to control it a lot more now.  Cooper will now come up to me randomly if I'm quiet and ask "Mommy, are you happy?"  It is such a heartbreaking question.  Of course I'm not happy, but I don't want him to think that I'm always sad.  I simply respond by telling him I'm so happy to be his Mommy.

I'm not naive to think that Cooper seems to be doing great and that he will be fine.  I know he will be fine as the Lord is so near to him and taking care of him.  But we also know he could be really affected by this loss.  He is already going through some extreme separation anxiety right now.  It's gotten much worse over the past month.  We pray daily for wisdom to love and parent Cooper well through this.  I think because Cooper acts so happy and normal right now, people assume he is back to normal.  And it's true, for the most part, you wouldn't be able to tell that he went through one of the hardest things a 3 year old can go through.  The Lord has given him such faith and I know he will be changed by this.  We know Callie's death has purpose.  We know it was not meaningless.  I believe the Lord will use this specifically in Cooper's life.  I don't know exactly how, but down the road, the Lord will use Cooper in other's lives.  I love how God created him with such a big heart with compassion and sensitivity towards others.  Please continue to pray for him and that the Lord would be near, that He would continue to give him faith in knowing that Callie is with Jesus, that he would preserve his memories of Callie, and that the Lord would use this in Cooper's life to draw him closer to the Lord and be used in other's lives through this.  God has great plans for Cooper and I can't wait to see it.