A Third Grade Blunder!

When Luke was told of Whitney's death the morning of July 18Th, he took it very hard. Tears, sadness and then later a few questions. He watched me cry, then would come up hug and pat me and say, "Are you thinking about Sissy?" I would nod, he would hug again and then go back into his world. For a while there, I thought he was doing okay...or maybe it was just me dealing with my own grief along with Tony's and Joel's. But then, things started happening...

He started 3rd grade 3 weeks after her death. The first couple of weeks were good. Not really into the full swing of things yet. Then a week or so later we began to get really bad grades on Friday...you know "F's", which was not the norm for him. He typically kept good grades. I began to get concerned.

Then his behavior kicked-up a notch. He whispered to a little girl sitting next to her that she was a "loser." HORRIFIED was my new name! Especially since this little girl was close to perfect from grades to behavior. So, after apologies...verbal and written and a long drawn out lecture on how to treat friends...we went on our merry way.

Apparently, this humiliation was not enough for Luke...so he created another one. He cheated! Not only did he cheat on a test BUT it was a B-I-B-L-E test...where he had to know the Old Testament Books in order and spelled correctly. Well, first of all, you never cheat and you certainly don't cheat on a BIBLE test while attending "Christian School!" OH MY! So after an enlightening trip to the principal where she had mercy on his soul, and then punishment from us...he was certainly remorseful...(we're always grateful for remorse!) We did not go on our merry way. We were concerned about what his sister's death had done to his heart.

After discussions with his lovely teacher Mrs. Allen, we sent Luke for a session with our on staff counselor. With that help and our prodding, Luke was able to cry for his sister again. He needed to know that it was okay to grieve this tremendous loss in his life.

Luke is getting back on tract with grades and behavior. God is honoring our prayer for expecting great blessings in his little life. Grief is very powerful and it catches you unaware. It did us...especially with our 9-year-old.

I just hope God overlooks "Bible Cheaters!"