Friday Flower

Friday Flower this week dedicated to the loving memory of Pedro, a beautiful 7-year-old boy from my son's class, who lost a battle to leukemia. My heart goes out to his parents, who fought so hard to keep their beautiful boy alive. It's been so hard to find a reason to smile this week after the devasting news. Pedro had been fighting leukemia since he was three. Six months ago his parents were told that there was nothing more that could be done for him here in Portugal, so they took him to a hospital in New York that offered them their last hope. Over the last 6 months my son's school has been busy organising fund raising events to enable Pedro to continue with treatments. But little Pedro went to sleep on Monday.

This is every parents' worst nightmare. Tomorrow I will be attending his funeral and offering my support to his parents, but I'm terrified at the idea of having to look at that little casket, thinking it could very well be my son, that this could happen to me one day. I feel so ashamed for having these feelings. Here I am completely centred on my own fears as a mother, when those poor distraught parents are grieving the loss of their little boy. I don't know what I'm going to say to them. I don't know what support I can offer. I just hope I'll be able to find the right words when the time comes.

My son's teacher broke the news to me on Monday and I just broke down crying in front of the class of 7-year-olds. I just couldn't stop the tears. The teacher did a very good job of explaining death to these little kids. My son said that God needed his help up in heaven, that he had a very important job for him up there. I'm not at all a religious person. The only reason my son is in a private Catholic school is because it's right next to my school. But I have to be honest, religion does come to the rescue in these situations.

I hope Pedro's parents find the strength to deal with their loss. And may Pedro be in a beautiful playground somewhere over the rainbow, maybe in that place called heaven.