Christian author Max Lucado describes an eternal instant as a moment that reminds you of treasure surrounding you.

I received this e-mail from my daughter-in-law this week.

Although life moves forward, there are always little reminders of special people in our lives.

Maggie received the show and tell bucket yesterday. Her chance to bring something to school from home and share about it. But one rule — it has to fit in the bucket. She thought it would be fun to bring Jake, but too bad the little guy is not that little!

Anyway she went into her room while I was putting Jake down for bed and came out with her bucket ready to go. I asked her if she was going to show me what she was going to bring. Inside was a photo of Donna and her sharing cotton candy from the state fair. I asked her what she was going to say to the class.

She said, “This is my aunt Donna and I loved going to the fair with her. We had lots of fun, but she died.”

This time of year I may be a little sensitive — two years this week, my little girl just seems to know — but little messages always seem to come at good times through little angels. I was not sure if my daughter should be the one teaching the class about death and dying. I asked her if that is really what she wanted to bring, thinking a Barbie or stuffed dog might be easier.

She wrote:

This is special to me, and if I brought a toy I don’t have anything special to say about it.” Who can argue with that??? :o)

So spring is starting….new beginnings, new joys, cherish every moment! Enjoy the ones you love!

Missing my partner in crime, but finding joy in the little messages she sends!

Happy Spring

P.S. Jake may not fit in the bucket, but Donna did! :o)

My granddaughter at the young age of 6 already has learned something that the rest of us take a lifetime to learn. My granddaughter already has learned about eternal instants. She already has learned to treasure those eternal instants above her Barbie and her stuffed dog. She knows where her treasures lie.

Maggie learned about death early in her life. Maggie loved my cat Alexis. From the moment Maggie could talk she was asking about Alexis. When Maggie was sick and nothing comforted her she wanted to visit Alexis my cat.

Alexis was old and when Maggie was 4 Alexis died. We debated on how to handle Alexis’ death for a little girl who would miss a living creature she loved. We debated whether we should tell her that Alexis went to live with someone else or to tell her the truth. Would a child of 4 understand death and be upset by it?

We told Maggie the truth. Alexis was old and she just got tired and needed to rest with God in heaven. Maybe there is a cat heaven, we don’t know. Maggie was sad, but she seemed to understand. Little did we know it would help prepare her for her great Aunt Donna’s death. She loved Aunt Donna dearly, and when Aunt Donna died she understood and she knew Aunt Donna was in heaven with God and perhaps with Alexis, too. Alexis helped prepare Maggie for missing Aunt Donna.

We want to shield our children from the uncertainties of life. We want to spare them the pain of having to deal with death and sadness. But death is a part of life, and it can’t be avoided.

Maggie has her memories of Aunt Donna and Alexis. Maggie in her short life has learned the importance of eternal instants. As adults we miss eternal instants because we are so focused on our jobs, our homes and worrying about tomorrow.

Maggie reminded me of eternal instants. We need to cherish those instants because they help us to know that in the midst of chaos life will be OK. Eternal instants are the real treasures of our lives.

My daughter-in-law’s e-mail and Maggie’s words were my eternal instant. Sitting by the fire and taking time out of my day is an eternal instant. Listening to my grandchildren’s singing is an eternal instant. Having coffee with a friend is an eternal instant. Laughing with my husband is an eternal instant. We have eternal instants that happen every day. We need to breathe those moments into our lives and cherish them. They are the treasures that we seek.

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send e-mail to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net .Her blog is paringdown.wordpress.com. Listen to KBEW AM radio 1:30 p.m. Sundays for “Something About Nothing.”