"You dust be happy"

This sunday I took a drive. With my nephew. To the airport.

And on the way, we talked. About everything.

About if we were on the fast road. And where the planes go when they land.

And why they can't drive on the road with the cars. And why a runway is called a runway.

And why we couldn't bring his new stuffed dog Abby with us.

And then we talked about something else, something that stuck in my mind. Something that his little 4 year old mind thought was so simple. And made perfect sense.

Something that matters.

We were talking just like we had been seconds before. He'd ask me questions, I'd answer, and visa versa.

It was quiet for a few seconds and then I broke the silence.

"Noah?"

"What Wach?"

"Have you ever missed someone before?"

"What?"

"Have you ever missed someone before? Like your mom or your dad or grandma?"

"Yeah."

"How did it make you feel?"

"Scawed. And it makes me feew wike I wanna cwy. Cuz it makes me feew sad."

"So how do you make it feel better?"

"You dust be happy. And den when you see em again, you dust feew happy and you dont feew scawed anymo."

A short conversation. No more than 30 maybe 40 seconds. Insignificant? Maybe to you. But to me that was just what I needed to hear.

And coming from a child, it seemed so simple.

Being without family or friends can be hard. Whether you live 10 hours away or 10 minutes away, it is hard.

Whether it's your mom or dad, your siblings, or your "significant other" it is hard.

Maybe you are a mother who misses her child everyday when they go to school.

Maybe you are a sister that misses her brother every time she needs a laugh.

Maybe you are a son who misses his dad every time he goes fishing.

Maybe you are wife who misses her husband every time he walks out the door for work.

Or maybe you are a 4 year old who misses his mom after her long trip to Hawaii.

Regardless of who you are, or who you miss, this lesson is for everyone.

Noah said it perfectly.

You do feel scared, and sad, and you might even feel like crying.

But he also said something we too often forget. The perfect solution.

When there is nothing else you can do,

"You dust be happy."

And when you see them again, you will feel happy, and you won't feel scared anymore.

Just like Noah.