Like Dry Bones, he says.

We were listening to Michael Gungor in the car.  (I'm a fan.)


The song held these lyrics:

My soul cries out, my soul cries out for you.  
These bones cry out, these dry bones cry for you.

A word hardly passes Tyler's ears that he hears it and wants to know what it means.

"Mommy, what does that mean - my soul cries out?"

"It means that sometimes we are so sad that our hearts cry out inside us for God to help us."

"What does that mean - dry bones?  Why do they say that?"

Well, this is a tricky, abstract something to explain to my four-year-old.  But I did my best.

"Well, when someone dies, their bones dry up because their skin is gone and there is no food to keep them strong.  So, when a person is so sad, like in this song, then they might say their bones are dry, and their soul is crying out."

I know.  Not a stellar definition.  But we were on our way to the grocery store.  I didn't have Ezekiel or Jeremiah or Lamentations at my fingertips.  It seemed to suffice, and he tucked these definitions away.

One thing I love about Tyler is his ability to store and apply vocabulary.  These new phrases emerged, in classic Tyler fashion.

"Mommy, I am so angry with Tucker that my soul is crying out like dry bones."

"Mommy, please don't leave me alone at bedtime.  I really don't want my soul to cry out."

Way to use and apply, kiddo.  I believe you now own those words, of all phrases to choose.

Silly boy.