Racoons, Cars, and Death

Maddie and I were headed to the grocery store by my mom's house tonight.  As we were driving down the road, we saw a group of 5 baby raccoons scatter across the street from under a truck and try to cross to the field on the other side of the road.  One unfortunate baby coon was hit by the car in front of us and left flopping on the road, suffering.  I was in tears after watching the whole episode happen and thought Maddie would be traumatized since she adores animals and just witnessed the whole thing herself.  Instead she says, "mom I am so sad for the baby raccoons that didn't die because they don't get to go see Jesus and the other one does."  I was in disbelief that she would even consider something like that before mourning over the one that was suffering.  The next day, we passed by the road where the raccoon had been hit and his body was gone.  I told Maddie that someone must have cleaned him off the road.  Her reply, "mom, Jesus came down and took him back to heaven, don't you know how it works!" 

I was touched by the whole encounter and her thought process until later that week she came and sat on my lap and said, "mom will you go stand in the road and get hit by a car with me?"  Not registering why she was asking I said, "of course not because they we would die."  and she says, "but if we get hit by a car and can die then we can be with Jesus, so lets go stand in the road together."   Of course, I had to explain to her that we don't get to choose when we die, Jesus does and that if we make ourselves die then we don't get to see Jesus.  Thankfully she understood and dropped the subject.  So if anyone sees my daughter playing in the road on purpose, please pull around her.  I am not ready to let her go just yet!!!