Abraham Lincoln’s eldest son, Todd Lincoln, was on the scene of 3 separate presidential assassinations. He was summoned to his father’s side after his father was mortally wounded at Ford’s Theatre in 1865. Todd was also in the train station where President Garfield was shot. And Todd was invited to an event by William McKinley and, at that occasion, McKinley was assassinated.
I wonder if Abraham ever talked to Todd about death because it wove itself into the tapestry of his life. As our children begin to think critically, we should talk openly about death and share our beliefs on the afterlife. In my family, though we are sad when someone passes on, we know it’s not the end and that, one day, we will be reunited with them. Death will one day die. Make sure you share this eternal hope with your children.