Happy Birthday, Uncle Walter

Last Sunday was Uncle Walter's birthday. We miss him every day, but sometimes the ache is more acute. As the day drew near, Cody grew increasingly sensitive about not being able to celebrate with him, in person, on earth. My assurances that Uncle Walter would probably be having the best birthday ever—what with being in Heaven and all—only went so far. And I wanted to let him feel his feelings; losing someone you love is an incredibly complex experience even for adults, so I knew he needed to talk it out. But I wanted also to attach some reassurance or joy when we talked about it, so that they learn, deep down, that the best is not just behind us, but also ahead of us. Cody made that pretty easy, as it turned out. During the week, as we were talking about what a heavenly birthday party might entail, he turned to me and said:

Mom, I have an idea. On Walter's birthday, can we go to the store and get some of those balloons that go up if you let go of them? And make your voice funny? Because what I think we should do is we should each write messages to Uncle Walter since we can't call him or visit him for his birthday. And then we should go outside and send them up into the sky, so that they go to Heaven, and ask Jesus to bring them to Uncle Walter so that he has balloons at his birthday party and so he knows we are thinking of him and that we love him--even though we can't come to the party.

At which point I went upstairs to cry. I called JVL and said something like, "So I know he was a bit of a jackass this morning, but this kid has such a heart."

So that's exactly what we did: we started a new tradition. We each wrote a personal message, and then sent the balloons skyward. And oddly, though it was a sad day in the midst of an even sadder weekend, our hearts took flight, too. We all felt connected to him, and a sense of joy and celebration came over us all, despite feeling his absence.

"Hi Uncle Walter, happy birthday! You are the best uncle ever. I hope you have a very happy birthday! Love, Cody."

We miss you, Uncle Walter. We are all pretty sure balloons are unpoppable in Heaven —
so enjoy them, and know how much we love you, and always will.

We will see you again, and we can't wait to hug you.