FIVE MORE WEEKS

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Submitted Date 04/14/2019
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We sat across from each other looking at the calendar. Five days were boxed in purple marker representing the amount of days we had left with each other. His nimble fingers grabbed the marker I had just put down.

 

"What about these days?" He asked earnestly, as he drew "x"s in six other boxes.

"Well these two are Saturdays," I pointed to the boxes, "even you aren't here on Saturdays," I replied with a chuckle.

"Why can't you come back? Just stay working here."

 

How do you say goodbye to a 12 year old that you've been working with for months? How do you explain that ending is sometimes out of your hands? Poor kid, finally getting used to making art and sharing his thoughts with me. Finally invested in our Thursday routine. And today I come in and say "In five weeks we are't going to see each other anymore." How upsetting.

 

He tried so hard to convince me to stay. I told him for know we still have time. We will still have fun together until the last session. And then I asked him what he wants our goodbye to look like...

"I want it to be good for you," he said.

"What does 'good' look like?" I responded while internally thinking how aamzingly thoughtful and sweet this young boy is.

"Um...chips? And fun," he replied.

I laughed and said, "I think that can be arranged."

 

So simple, a small party of just me and him. Together we will celebrate the drawings he has created and the stories he has shared with me. We will play words games with Crayola markers while eating Lays chips. Such an easy thing to do, yet it will mean to much to him. A happy way to wrap up a rollar coaster journey of art therapy.

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