Friends

I saw a message from one of Kieron's school friends on Facebook the other day, asking who was going to the beach the following day. The kids and I become real beach bums as soon as the sun's out and Kieron's friends all go to the same part of the beach so the kids have each other for company. They set up cricket and football, laughing at the adult males who suddenly want to join in. Kieron especially allows older kids to join in, trying to get them on his team so that he has a better chance of winning. One Kieron's friends has a grandmother with a beach hut, so they all tend to gravitate in that direction. Suggestions that maybe it's time to go home once the food runs out fall on deaf ears although Kieron is generally quite keen to go to the beach cafe for chips for tea.
On non-beach days, Kieron will ask if he can go to the park about 15 minutes walk from home. Knocking for friends on the way, mobile phone in pocket so that I can check he's ok, Kieron does whatever 10 year old boys do in parks with friends, although I suspect it means football and teasing the girls from school.
Sometimes I get a phone call asking if he can go back to a friends house for a while so I relish the additional peace and quiet until a tornado whirls in all muddy and sticky and sweaty with demands to have a sleepover or someone round to play the following day.
Kieron is probably the most popular kiddie in his school year (gospel according to his head teacher) and this is borne out by the amount of friends who still keep in touch. Just a few days ago, 3 young boys came round to see me. Unfortunately I was at work, but they later told me that they came round to see if I was ok.
On the day of Kieron's funeral, as we arrived at the church, all I could see was a sea of green fleeces there were so many of his school friends present, all in school uniform. They sent me dozens of letters and every single one repeated the same things:always making people laugh, never unhappy, kind, helpful, loves sharks, camels and basketball.

Kieron's friends wanted him to stay as part of their class until the end of the school year so they all wrote about him and stuck it on the classroom wall next to a self portrait Kieron did in art. All the notes were then put in a time capsule and placed in Kieron's garden at his school. These kids have suffered so much at losing him. I guess that says it all.
Kieron's friends are amazing. Kieron is amazing.