Samantha knows people get old and die. We have discussed this fact of life on several occasions.

I remember the first time she and I discussed the subject of death. It was when a long-time friend of Tina's family passed away. Tina had told me she was going to the funeral. I told her I would stay at home with Sam. I thought it best to take this time to explain death to Samantha.

My explanation of death to Sam was short, simple, and to the point. I simply told her that people get old and die. I remember walking through the house, pointing to pictures on the wall, and telling Samantha that all these people had gotten old and died. I remember doing my own "visual" of death...gasping for air, and slumping over...complete with the final raspy, choking sound that, so often, accompanies those final moments.

I also remember Samantha's excitement when Tina returned from the funeral. She could not wait to let Tina know that she had acquired a workable knowledge of death...right down to the nifty sound effects. Of course, I will never forget the look on Tina's face when Samantha decided to do her own version of death. Taking Tina's bewildered look as that of non-comprehension, Sam turned to me and said, "Uhhhhaaaahh!"...Say It Dad!"

Often, Samantha has me write down the names of different family members, and we discuss them, at length. She will point to the names of the different people, and I will tell her who they are in relation to her and I. This discussion usually takes about an hour.

This morning, Sam decided she wanted to have such a discussion. I wrote the names of my mom and dad, Tina's mom and dad, my brother, and my grandparents.

First, she pointed to my brother's name. "This is my brother...Gary." Samantha replied, "You?" "Yes", I replied. "This is my brother Gary."

When she came to my grandparents, she asked, "What happened Papa?" "He got old, and he died!", I responded. After several minutes of her discussing the fact of my grandparents getting old and dying, Sam pointed to her "Nanna's" name. When I told her that the name she was pointing to was that of her "Nanna", she sat quietly for a few moments and then stated, "Not Old!"

I could not help but smile at Samantha's response. Given the fact that people get old and die, it was important for Samantha to establish the fact that her "Nanna" was not old. It was ok for my grandparents to have gotten old and passed on, but now, we were talking about her "Nanna"!

Our discussion had become amusing, but I must admit, I was not prepared for what was about to come next.

Tina's mom and dad live in the same town we do. Samantha sees them both almost daily. My parents, on the other hand, live a couple of states away, are up in years, and because of the distance, rarely get to see Sam.

Having gotten completely engrossed in our discussion, Samantha decided that she should take control of the topic herself. She pointed to the names of my mom and dad and asked, "Old?" "Yes", I replied, "They are old!" "Dead?", Sam inquired. "No, they are not dead", I responded. "Almost?" she quizzed. I could not hold back the laughter as I answered her. "Yeah, almost!" I stated.

It was so neat to see her assemble the information. But, it was also hilarious to see the way she assembled it. It was fine for me to have old, dead, grandparents. It was even ok for the grandparents she rarely sees to be on the verge of their own passing. But, it was totally unacceptable for her "Nanna", who she is quite fond of, to be anywhere near the age of death.

I treasure moments such as this. They have been so long in coming...but, they are such amazing moments that they have been more than worth the wait.