Being Brave.

Dear Journal, 1/27/13

Today in class we got these new books. Mrs. Adams gave them to us and said we have to write in them. Mrs. Adams also said i should name you in order to have more fun writing, but i don’t think i will. She said this journal is for us. By the end of the year we can take this book home. i hope i say something funny by that time.

Dear Journal, 1/29/13

Cindy said we should write about each other a lot in our books since we are the bestest friends. i agreed because we are the bestest friends. Cindy and me have been the bestest friends since forever! i think Mrs. Adams would be happy to see that we are the bestest friends. So i am writing about Cindy.

Dear Journal, 1/31/13

Today in class, we talked about things that are special to us. i talked about my dog of course. i also told everyone that i like spending time with my dad. Mrs. Adams said that was very good. i am glad because i can go tell my dad after school about today. i hope it makes him very happy.

Dear Journal, 2/3/13

Dad was very happy. He said that made his day. Mom smiled at me too. It was very nice.

Dear Journal, 2/5/13

Today in class we learned a new math skill. I really hate learning new math skills because math is super hard. I want to learn something that is not math. The homework Mrs. Adams gave me is really hard and it makes me want to cry. I think I will ask mom if we can see dad again so he can help me with my homework. He is super good at math unlike mom and me.

Dear Journal, 2/7/13

My math homework is finished but i still am very confused on it all. Dad said i need to study more but i do not want to study math at all. i think i will just go to dad anytime i need help with math. That should be okay.

Dear Journal, 2/11/13

i just had the best dinner. Mom got mcdonalds today for everyone. She went and i got to sit with dad in his room alone and talk about everything. i told him about Cindy who is my bestest friend in the entire world. i told him about how hard math is and how i am glad he can help me. i told him i love him just as much as i love mom. Which is a lot! Then mom came back with dinner and i got the meal with the toy and enjoyed my food a lot! We even stayed so late that the nurse had to come and get us to leave. Dad looked sad at that, so i hugged him and said i would be back, probably with math homework and that made dad laugh so i felt okay leaving after that. i am sad when i am not visiting him so i know how that feels. i hope he is not too sad that i am not with him all the time.

Dear Journal, 2/14/13

Mrs. Adams took a look at some of the stuff we wrote just to make sure we are actually doing our assignments. She said I need to capitalize my I and not write it like i. So I am learning to be better.

Dear Journal, 2/20/13

We wrote thank-you letters to people we are thankful for this week. I wrote mine to Mrs. Adams because I am thankful she is my teacher. I also made one for dad because I am thankful he is my dad and that I get to see him. I used a lot of glitter so I hope he likes it even though it is pink and not a boy color at all. I still think he will like it.

Dear Journal, 2/22/13

Dad has the card sitting near the window in his room. It sparkles when the sun hits it and I love that very much. Dad said it was the best card ever and that makes me very happy. Maybe I should make dad more things for his room. It is very empty and the only things in the room are the tv and the beeping machines for him.

Dear Journal, 3/7/13

I have made a cat picture. I have colored a car picture for dad and he liked that one very much. He said it reminded him of when he was younger with his dad and they worked on cars. I said that is nice but I don’t really know what he means because I do not work with cars and mom just has uncle dave fix ours. Mom said that giving him those pictures was very nice and that it brightened up the room a lot. I am happy that everyone else is happy.

Dear Journal, 3/13/13

Mrs. Adams just told the class that we are having a breakfast with our families sometime next week. I am excited to ask mom and dad to both be there. Mrs. Adams said there will be pancakes to eat and fruit. I love fruit, so I am excited to show dad all the different kinds of fruit that I like to eat. It will be so fun! I am so excited to see dad next.

Dear Journal, 3/14/13

I am very angry. Mom said that dad can’t come to my breakfast because he is not feeling good. I think he is feeling fine. She told me not to ask him about it but I asked him anyway because I think he is fine. But dad said no he could not go and when I asked why he said he can’t leave the hospital. I got so mad that I cried right there and mom got mad at me for being mad at dad that we left. I forgot to say goodbye because I was so mad. I hope dad forgives me for not saying goodbye.

Dear Journal, 3/20/13

Cindy and I sat right next to each other on breakfast morning. Mom was there for a little bit and she got to enjoy her food with me before she had to leave for work. That was okay because I got to sit with Cindy and her mom and dad and brother. We all sat and ate our food and it was just like when we have a sleepover at Cindy’s house. I still wished dad was here and when I said that out loud Cindy’s mom said I’d have to eat all my food in order to report back to dad what was good and what was not. I have to write it down here so I remember.

Good Bad

pancakes pineapple (it hurt my tongue)

watermelon (really good) eggs (they were not moms good eggs)

Apple juice

toast

This is my list so I remember to tell dad when I see him again. I think he will be upset that he did not come, but I will tell him to come next year when he feels better and can walk on his own again. That will be very fun.

Dear Journal, 3/24/13

I went to see dad today and he was very quiet. The curtains in his room were closed and he kept his eyes shut the whole time we watched tv. I asked if he was watching the cartoon we had on and he said yes but I don’t think that is true. We stayed for a short time before mom said we had to leave. I said goodbye this time but I am not sure if dad heard me because his eyes were closed and he forgot to wave goodbye to me as I left.

Dear Journal, 3/28/13

Today is Cindy’s birthday! I am excited to go to her house because she is having a party and I get to see all of my friends outside of school. That is always so fun to me. Cindy’s present is a nail polish set because we paint our nails a lot when we are together so I think she will really like this. It has a pretty color blue that I want but mom said it was a gift and not for me but I could always ask santa and maybe he would consider something alike. So I will ask santa for something alike. I am waiting in my play clothes to go to Cindy’s birthday party now but mom is still showering so I hope she finishes soon so we can go. I can’t wait to see everyone!

Dear Journal, 4/1/13

The best part of Cindy’s birthday party being passed is that my birthday party is coming up! We are only 13 days apart from each other so that is really cool. I am excited to see what my cake will look like because I asked mom for a guitar on my cake. I really hope it is a pink guitar because I love the color pink.

Dear Journal, 4/4/13

I am excited to get a gift from dad this year. Mom said he tried very hard to get it right for me so I am expecting a really good gift. I also told him I want to share my cake with him and he promised he would be waiting for me to come back with a piece. I really hope my cake is pink with a guitar.

Dear Journal, 4/8/13

I GOT A PINK BIKE!!! Yes! Dad got me a pink barbie bike and it is my favorite thing in the world! It’s so nice and I love riding it. I’ve been up and down the driveway and mom promised to take me around the block tonight! It’s the best gift in the entire world!! Mom even let me call dad and tell him how excited I am about this bike! He said he was glad but we had to let him go because he was coughing a lot. Still, I am glad that dad got me a bike and I love him a lot. I will have to show him how good I am at riding a bike when he gets out of the hospital.

Dear Journal, 4/9/13

Mom said dad is sick today. Too sick for a visit, so I will wait until he gets better so I can see him again. I am kind of sad because I want to see him. I hope he gets better so I can see him. I want to share my birthday cake with him when I get it!

Dear Journal, 4/10/13

It’s my birthday!!! I am so excited !!! I really am!!!

Mom and I (see Mrs. Adams, I am learning) went to the donut shop and got some donuts for the class to share. I picked Cindy to help me pass out my donuts. She was super fast at passing at the napkins. I was slower at passing out the donuts. Still, it was fun! Everyone sang happy birthday to me! I felt awesome. I am proudly 8 years old. Today was the best day of my life!

Dear Journal, 4/11/13

Mom got me a cake with a guitar. A PINK guitar! It was so awesome. All my family is coming over later to celebrate. I am excited to see what new toys I will be getting. I hope some are legos because dad and I can build them together when he gets better! I am so excited!!!

P.S. I have saved him a piece of cake and I know he will really like it because I really really liked it!

Dear Journal, 4/13/13

Mom talked a lot on the phone last night. She talked really fast, but then she got off the phone and hugged me super tight. She said she loves me and I know that. Then she told me the news and I cried. I cried really hard because I am sad. I am glad Mrs. Adams gave me this book because I am still sad and I think writing in this book will help me. I am not sure how, but I will keep writing in this book.

Dear Journal, 4/14/13

Cindy called me today. I didn’t talk to her. I will call her later. I just want to be alone today. Mom is home with me too. She is making me waffles so that makes me feel a little bit better. I am glad Cindy called and left a message. It was a short message, but she said she would be a phone call away if I needed to talk. That is very nice to know.

Dear Journal,

I am really tired. I have been around a lot of people crying today but mom has been hugging me all day so that has helped. I had to say goodbye to dad today. I spoke to him but he didn’t speak back. It was really hard to say goodbye. He is the best dad in the entire world and I even saved him a piece of cake to let him know but I guess he was too sick to enjoy it like I did. Mom said he will enjoy a piece of cake in heaven and when I asked if it would be pink she said yes. So that makes me feel a little bit better.

Dear Journal, 4/21/13

I just got back to school. Mrs. Adams hugged me. I liked her hug because it was very tight. It felt just like mom was hugging me. I didn’t cry like I did when mom hugged me. I am being strong. Mrs. Adams told me I am a very good person which was nice to hear. She told me I was brave. She told me to keep being brave. I think I will try and stay brave but it feels very hard. Some of my friends asked where I was, but Mrs. Adams said to MYOB and mind your own business! I laughed at that because it was funny. I missed being in school and seeing my friends.

Dear Journal, 5/5/13

Today is our last full week of school. I am excited to celebrate! We got to go outside and have lots of recess time. I even climbed the monkey bars and it was really scary at first because I was up so high. Then I remembered Mrs. Adams said to be brave and I was. So I jumped down from the top of the monkey bars and landed on my feet! It was super exciting and all my friends cheered! We spent a lot of time on the monkey bars until our class got together to play kickball. That was super fun to play too! My team even won! I am just so excited to tell mom all the fun stuff I did today! Mrs. Adams said we have a lot more work to complete. She said a lot of cleaning to do and mom would be proud to know how clean we are being at school like I am at home. I am glad I have a journal. Mrs. Adams is very good at being a teacher and I am glad she was my 3rd grade teacher.