Bella's bad year

Tonight just before bed, I found Bella at the computer, tears in her eyes, with the start of a letter up on the screen:  It was a note to her friend in Japan, Minori.  She turned to me and said "I just miss her so much" - and her note said "when you left, my life changed forever".

I know I've written about this time before, but it was fresh in my mind and I want to reshare:

First grade was a tough one for Bella:  That was the year that her classmate Grant came to school having just stated treatment for brain cancer, and they spent all year watching his struggle, as disappeared for treatment, ballooned up from steroids, lost his vision and ability to walk, and ultimately lost his life.

Bella's teacher that year was not the most nurturing of people - sort of a brass tacks kind of lady, so Bella clung to her close friends.  Minori was one of her closest.  Minori's family came from Japan and her dad worked for a biomedical device manufacturer...  and at the end of the year the family was transferred back to Japan.

Between the loss of Grant and the loss of Minori, Bella was definitely on-edge.  It didn't help that this was also when I was traveling a lot - That was the year of Cleveland...   basically for her whole year of first grade through half of second, I was gone 4 days a week.  Later that summer, her other best friend Miles left for Austin Texas.

She went into second grade with her dad missing, her two best friends gone, and having watched a friend die..  and she had that brass tacks teacher again too.  It's no wonder that she had a nervous breakdown.   Yes, kids are resilient and make it through things...   but I know she stores things down deep, and suddenly tonight she decided that she was really really sad and missed her friend.

So I helped her finish her letter, and we found some pictures and pasted them in.  And I packaged it up and emailed it to Minori's mom.  Hopefully we'll hear back.  Maybe they'll video-chat now?  Bella steals my phone to video chat visit with her dear friend Aleena every day after school...

Anyway, I have a good kid, and she's made it through some sad times.  I'm glad she can let her feelings out sometimes.