"You're Freaking Me Out"

The time came when we figured it was time to tell the girls that their fratenal grandma was ill (from cancer), was having surgery the following Friday (two surgeons, all day, on Friday the 13th) and likely wouldn't survive the surgery (with her heart problems, low immunity, collitis, etc.). Plus it was believed to be secondary cancer. Taylor took it in stride, "so she might die? But we hope she won't. What do you mean she has cancer in her belly? Where else is it?" Mackenzie on the other hand replied in typical 6 year old form, "but who will take me to see the Newfoundland dog?" Then she got quiet and covered her ears, "Stop talking about it, you're freaking me out. I don't want to hear it." I know when she's ready she will ask questions. Minutes later she came to me and said "we don't want people in our family to drop off. We'd miss them because we love them." Mackenzie is familiar with death. She has had her fourth fish die this week. They're class fish died a couple of weeks ago (it was hers as well). Her teacher's dog died a couple of months ago. And her classmate's mother died two months ago. She knows about death, just not this close to home. We hope and pray that she gets a chance to spend a week alone with her gandmother, without her family, as Taylor did when she was six years old. A good woman like her should be around for a lot more years; someone who cares for others and loves her family more than anything in the world.