All three of our first grade classrooms share a storyline of “Spread God’s Love.” A storyline’s primary purpose is to create a link between the curriculum and God’s story.

Recently, a member of our community had their daughter pass away, who was a former BCCS student. First grade teacher Cindy Coffey shares:

“We wanted to encourage a family that was grieving the loss of their precious child, Julianne, who was 19 when she went to heaven. In our classroom, we discussed what we think heaven may be like and wrote about it. Using our writing skills, we turned our thoughts into a book that each student helped to create. Students were also beauty creators as they illustrated their words with such detailed, colorful pictures. Julianne’s mother came to our classroom this winter to receive this special book the students had made to encourage the family and bring them joy during the holiday season.”

Mrs. Coffey also invited her students’ families into the experience by sending a copy of the book home with each student. She shared with parents, “The letter inside the book is written to a certain family, but you may choose to write a personal note to another grieving person and bless them with the treasured writings of our children. We pray that the copy of the book that we send home today will prompt some wonderful conversations about the joys we will experience in heaven some day.”

Learning what the Bible says about heaven is important, and supporting those experiencing grief is essential. There is no right or easy way to walk through the passing of a family member, but the truth the first graders shared about heaven is a genuine comfort.