Tough Questions.

I'm in charge of putting the girls to bed every night, and while they have become pretty self-sufficient in that area I do approach the task with the expectation that my knees will have gotten a good stretching by the end of it. ("Dad! Bring water!" "Dad! Come turn the light off!," etc.) The requests are usually of the same type and never too difficult to satisfy.

So I was completely prepared the other night to march up the stairs and fill the water cup when I heard the inevitable "Dad!" from Ruby. "What is it, honey?" I called, getting up.

There was a pause, and then she spoke again: "Is God real?"

Oh boy. Melissa reminds me that I posted about this same issue when Cecilia was littler, and out of respect for Ruby's privacy (and my own), I won't relate exactly what we discussed when I went up and sat down on her bed. Her question came from thinking about her Grandpa Martinez (Melissa's grandfather), who died before she was born, and wondering whether she'd ever meet him. Needless to say, although Ruby did not seem totally persuaded one way or the other after our talk, she did feel much better and was able to lie down and fall asleep pretty quickly.

We are not a religious family, as most of you who read this blog know. But as someone who was raised in one, I understand the value of religion, especially in its ability to put color and magic in the world - and to answer children's difficult questions about the universe. We went to church on Christmas Eve for the first time in a while, which was nice. And I think Ruby and I both agree that it's nice to think of a reunion with Grandpa Martinez and all our the other beloved relatives she never got to meet, in a beautiful place, someday.