I Am Sad

I am sad now because a friend of mine has died, from a disease called cancer. [Parents--a very good book about death is The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst].

I am sad because I will never see her again. I will miss having lunch with her, inviting her to my house, and I will miss sending e-mails to her. I will miss her smile--she especially smiled when she was around children and cats, because she loved both.

She was a very good person; she was always doing things for other people. She did not say mean things about others. She was always willing to help me and to help others. She made me feel good about myself. I will miss her very much, and I know lots of other people will miss her, because she made them feel good too.

Because I am sad, I am crying. Not all the time, but alot. It's OK to cry when someone dies. It's also OK to smile and even laugh, because sometimes you remember silly things that other person did. What's not OK is to laugh when someone else is crying--that's a very hurtful thing to do.

When I cry because I miss my friend, Karen gives me a hug. That makes me feel better. Even when I am not crying, other people give me hugs and tell me they are sorry, because they know I miss my friend. And, when I see my other friends crying, I hug them too, because I am sorry they are feeling sad.

It also helps me to talk--to talk about how I am feeling, and to talk about my friend who has died. I especially like to tell stories about the fun things my friend and I did together. Sometimes telling those stories even makes me smile, even if I'm still crying a little.

Tomorrow will be a hard day, because there will be a Memorial Service for my friend. All of her family and friends will be there, and we will say good-bye to a very special person. We will cry, we will smile a little, we might laugh together, and we will hug each other. But most of all, we will remember all the good things about my friend.

And there were a lot of good things.

Later this spring, Karen, Banana, Cheese, and I will plant a magnolia tree, as a way to remember my friend. That will be a good thing to do, because every time we look at that tree, we will remember our friend. And, when it blooms every Spring, we will be reminded of that beautiful person who is not here any more.