The Girl With Arthritis

I never liked him, and I don't think he liked me. That was fine by me. I was very quiet and an easy target. He was very loud and brash, and even at my ripe age of eleven I found him extremely obnoxious. I was glad when we didn't have classes together- it meant I could get my work done without comments that turned me red in anger and embarrassment. I was often picked on by my classmates, but he made my blood boil- somehow, he always knew just what to say or do to make me angry. One time he sprayed a pungent cologne in my face, and laughed when I scowled. Every day, I wished he would go away. I hated him, and I don't think he ever liked me. I haven't thought about him in years, and I don't think he thought of me either. Why would we when there was no reason to? We went on to go to different schools in different towns, and we never crossed paths again. With no mutual friends- not even Facebook friends- there was no reason we would ever need to remember each other, ...

I love the Monkees: The show and a lot of the music, so it saddened me to read of Davy Jone's death. Not just saddened me actually, it went more of "Davy Jones is dead! No! NO! Why?!" And then I got sad again seeing no blog views this whole week...

This year my school has faced many deaths. In September a sixteen year old boy commited suicide. In the same week, a man who had graudated only the year before died in a car accident. A teacher who had cancer died in October, and she was only in her fifties. And during the weekend, a sixteen year old boy in my art program lost his father in an unexpected and sudden death. This year, I'm learning more of death than I wanted to in a lifetime. I learned how grief is different for different people, and how different it is to lose a friend, a parent, a teacher or the kid you looked up to last year. When the boy died, the kids cried together and at a favourite hang out spot they wrote notes, placed candles, brought tributes and such. In fact someone brought his skateboard. When the man (former student) died, we were all shocked. Some of the upper classmen lost 'a hero.' While a few cried publically, most kept their head held high as that's what he taught them. When the tea...

I had just watched a video about a boy who 'escaped death three times.' He talked about how every time he was going to die, it was light and peaceful and he couldn't stop smiling. In fact, he wanted to be there and never wanted to leave. No matter what you believe, don't you think that's just one of the best ways to go? Not sad and crying and in pain, but happy, feeling so peaceful. I had always feared death since my grandmother left us all of a sudden when I was three. I remember being six years old in the car crying because I didn't want to die or I didn't want my mum to die. Let's not go into religon here: I am not judging anyone and I don't want anyone judging me. But, just watching this boy write all about how nice it was just reassured me that in the end, we'll all be okay. Whether it be hallucinations or actually passing onto Heaven (or whatever you may believe). Rest in Peace Benjamin (1993- Christmas, 2011). I didn't know him, bu...