Hope for the Future

I met two very nice boys at the doctor’s clinic today. Fifth and sixth graders. They give me hope for the future because they are so polite, intelligent, sweet, caring…how do I know all this you wonder.

Their Mom was getting treatments at the clinic and Grandma brought them along because no one was available to take care of them. The clinic building has a large courtyard with a few tables, a small pond and trees. I went across the street for a salad and decided to sit outside but the only place to eat was where the boys had parked their stuff while Mom was getting her IVs.

I asked if I could sit at their table. They hesitated and I said I just wanted to sit and eat my salad and by the way I knew their Mom and Grandma from upstairs. That convinced them I was an OK person so they came and sat with me at the table.

First they were very curious about what was happening upstairs. (They were told that the doctor didn’t allow children in the clinic and I knew that their Mom was trying to protect them from all her ills.) I told them that the medicine she was getting was to help her get better. That wasn’t enough. One said..she has cancer I think. The other one says…she has lymphoma. Right. So he asks…what is lymphoma?  I briefly explained that her blood isn’t doing what it needs to so the medicine will make her stronger and help her blood do its job.

Question after question! And then our conversation covered their family, my family, sports and the Olympics, generations and heritage, rock skipping, food, boredom, school and why can’t we go see my Mom! Yikes. I could not believe I spent an hour in conversation with these kids.

And they asked me questions that were polite “getting to know you” questions…like…what good things have happened to you this week?…what activities are your grandkids in?…what kind of cancer does your husband have? …do you know a lot of people with lymphoma?….what’s sports teams do you watch?…what do you do for work?…we are part Peruvian, what are you? Oh my! I  remembered why teaching 5th and 6th grade was my favorite 🙂

When I returned to the treatment room I complimented Mom and Grandma on what wonderful boys they have and they thanked me for spending time with them.  I suggested that Grandma take a phone pic of the treatment room to show the boys, which she did and then took them out for a snack.

It was such a nice reminder that there are really wonderful young people out there in the world and I imagine they are in the majority!