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There once was a young boy who couldn’t fall asleep because he missed Wilbur the pig and was certain Wilbur the pig missed him. The young boy began to cry, and as the tears streamed down his face, his mother said, as she placed her hand on his heart, “You have much sadness.” And the boy cried.
The young boy turned on his side and tried to fall asleep again, yet the tears began to fall once more. His mom asked if he would like to get up and go to the play room, and the little boy quickly agreed and jumped out of bed.
The little one, tucked in close to his mom on the sofa, began to share about a song that was sung to Wilbur…that included the words “goodbye for now.”
And although his mommy did not know the song, she asked if she could make one up about Wilbur…the little boy smiled with relief and nodded his head yes.
And so his mommy sang:
Oh Wilbur,
we love you
we miss you, dear friend.
Goodbye for now. Goodbye for now.
Oh Wilbur,
we love you,
we miss you, dear friend.
Goodbye for now.
And as she sang the song, the little boy wept. And then he asked if they could read a book together. His mom said, "Of course," and they read a book chosen by the young boy.
After the final page was read, the little boy, still sitting in his mother’s embrace, asked for the song to be sung again, and as she sang the song, the little boy wept.
Then, the mommy asked if the little boy would like to go on a walk. And so they walked hand in hand…talking about nothing and everything. He pointed out the birds, the pine cones, the stones…The little boy remembered the kitty cat he lost several months ago and shared how “she is in my heart, and your heart, and daddy’s heart.”
And then the little boy said, “I think I am feeling better, Mommy.”
The mom asked, “What do you think helped you feel better?” And the little boy replied, “I think reading a book helped.”
And so she shared with her son about feeling feelings…and how emotions are meant to come, to be felt, and to go.
They aren’t meant to stay forever, although sometimes they do return for another visit…
And sometimes when we feel deeply, we might need to take a break and read a book, just like the wise little boy did…And then we can return to feeling the feelings again…and then our wise bodies might start to feel like they need to move, so we take a walk because emotions sometimes need help letting go through movement.
His mommy let him know how proud she was of him for feeling his very deep feelings. The little boy listened and then continued on his merry walk through the neighborhood, pointing out all the things that caught his interest, never letting his mommy's hand go.
Although the little boy still missed Wilbur the pig and was certain Wilbur the pig missed him…he was ready to fall asleep when they arrived home. The young boy laid on his bed, closed his eyes, and slept deeply the whole night.
The next morning, the little boy smiled as he talked about Wilbur the pig and sang the song his mother had sung him…
With a beaming face and a contented heart, he hummed:
Oh Wilbur,
we love you
we miss you, dear friend.
Goodbye for now. Goodbye for now.
Oh Wilbur,
we love you,
we miss you, dear friend.
Goodbye for now.
May we all feel our feelings without fear. May we all be held as we process the depth and breadth of human emotion. May we all be guided by wisdom and compassion as we journey through the emotional landscape of our heart.