farewell to oma...

Let me paint a scene for you...

Backup. For those of you that don't know every detail of my life, but catch up with me here, you need to know that Harland's parents have lived a half hour from us for just shy of 5 years, but after a corporate takeover and a job change are moving to the Netherlands. His father is already there and tomorrow his mother will be going.

Ok, now let me paint a scene for you...

Tonight was the last time the girls and I got to spend with Oma before she moves. Belinda (Harland's sister) and Karen (Oma) came over for dinner. Now picture the moment with me. A tearful goodbye has taken place and Oma is getting ready to walk out the door after cheerful assurances from the girls that they will talk to her on the phone, video conference, and send pictures (sorry to tell you Karen, that the phone probably won't happen...they're not much of phone talkers yet, but we'll try!). I have my back to the girls as we're having a last minute chat before she goes when I hear a little bit of whimpering behind me. I turn around to see Grace standing there with her hands covering her eyes and crying a little. And it wasn't her fake cry that she does. This was the real deal.

Immediately my heart breaks and I get tears in my eyes. Karen gets fresh tears in hers (and Belle too?) as we realize that this 3 year old is crushed. She fully understands the situation. She is saying goodbye to her Oma for a long time, and she's upset. How perceptive! I couldn't imagine that they would understand, but she does. She feels loss and grief. I scoop her up in my arms as I am feeling serious pain for my daughter's feelings. In half a second my thoughts were, "How could they do this to her?! She loves them and now she's crushed!" I say to Grace, "Are you ok? What's the matter?" and she says in a sweet broken voice, "I'm having a hard poop."

After which we burst out laughing and crying. Poor kid thinks we found her situation funny. That girls says some funny things at the right time without knowing it often enough, but I plan to tell this story over and over for years to come!

Side note to Oma...she meant what she said though, she did have a little, ahem, issue after she went to bed. Poor kid. They really do love you. I don't know how I'm going to explain to them that we can't go to Oma's anymore.