Geraint Roberts - Ramblings of a would-be published novelist

In Memory

It's been sad recently. I had to take my daughter to a funeral on Friday. It was a large attendance and very emotional. There was a lot of grief, people from all parts of the poor girl's life came to see her off and Ithink it was nice to see how many people really cared. We went to the burial and the people gathered around in sombre silence, whilst the relations were consoled as best you could.

This happens all over the world, day in day out. People are given a good send off by those that care. The difference this time is my daughter is only eleven. Her friend died of leukemia just short of adolesence and the start of growing up from child to woman. What hurt was we only knew that she had been ill the day before she died and by then she was beyond visiting. She had been in hospital for four weeks before that and a combination of half term and moving to different schools meant they had lost touch. Evelin never got to see her one last time.

As a parent, it frightens me as to how easy it is for a spark to be taken away so quickly. You can try and protect them as much as you can, but in the end it may not be enough. My heart goes out to the family, for this is truly unfair. She was a spirited, vibrant young thing with a easy going , friendly temperament. She was a bright kid and gregarious. I'm sure she would have carved her niche in life with pride. I respected her as she took Evelin as she found her, no need to belittle her, no manipulations as some did. She like Evelin for who she was. She was mature beyond her years.

You feel cheated by people leaving you, especially one so young and I'm sure her folks feel that way. In time, the memories remain and they are precious. Reminders of how much joy the departed brought you. It's not half as good as the real thing, but they are still reminders of how people have affected your lives. I understand now why people have wakes, it feels too bad to let the good memories go without sharing them.

So, this entry is dedicated to you, Ellie Cassidy. Sleep well child and thanks for bringing my Evelin so much pleasure as a friend. if there's any justice, you should have unlimited time snowboarding up there.

posted by Geraint @ 10:24 pm