Mommy's heart hurts tonight

When Timothy was 2 & 3, and it was time to say good-bye to his friend "Dar" he would fall down on the floor, cry, and scream no. The only way he knew to communicate his feelings of loss was to get angry and pretend like it wasn't happening. Thankfully, things have changed dramatically the last couple of years. Timothy faced the good-bye tonight instead of throwing a tantrum over it. Timothy weakly hugged Dar good-bye, immediately started rubbing his eyes, and then laid down on the couch.

While Dar was here, he slept on Timothy's twin bed, and we brought another twin mattress in that we kept on the floor for Timothy to sleep on. When we went to bed tonight, the real emotions of the evening finally showed up. Timothy rarely fights bedtime, but he cried all the way up the stairs. When I patted his bed and told him he could lay there, he cried, "Because Dar isn't here!" It's just killing him. Of course we talked him through it, and he was calm as we read books. Dan had some time with him after I left, and Timothy asked him if he could sleep on the other bed (the one he's been sleeping on with Dar here). He told Dan that he wanted to leave his bed open "for whenever Dar comes back". Oh, it just pierces my heart. And Dan leaves tomorrow for his longest underway since we've been back in San Diego. Please pray for my sweet boy.