i'm not going to continue yesterday's post about food now. i know i have promised to show you stuff i had yesterday, but what i ate is not that important right?

something unexpected came up and i felt more compelled to write about it.

one of my kids' mom passed away yesterday morning. this news came as a surprise to his group of friends and me too. no one knew his mom had been sick for many years battling kidney cancer. he is a sunny, chatty, and inquisitive boy with a razor-blade sharp tongue. i have never seen him sad.

yesterday was also the first time i went to pay my last respect on my own and a christian one too. the only experience i have of a funeral is when my great-grandmother passed away when i was in secondary school. i have followed my parents to relatives' funerals before but i was only tagging along and followed their instructions. yesterday, i went accompanied by quin. i was kind of apprehensive because i would not know what to do when i reached. who would i see? what did i have to say? how much bereavement money do i have to give?

but luckily it went well. i met parents i knew and quin was quick to lead the way to sign our names at the guest book. and it was also quin who asked for joshua...yes, that is the kid. i doubt his dad knew who we were but i told him we jog with him. his dad called him out from the house and joshua was just finishing his dinner.

despite his young age (14), he looked very calm and brave. his eyes were red but there was no quiver in his voice when he spoke. i saw his fist softly clenched when he first came out but he relaxed after a while. we chatted and joked and then we were joined by his classmate. my anxiety was sort of unfounded then. i guess the news of his mother's death was not something unexpected in the family. he told us that the doctor had said his mom would not make it and that was why they brought her home since last week. young kids can be so brave. he was not keen on coming out of the house if we did not call him out. he said the reason why he din wanna come out was because he did not like being patted, hugged and touched by the adults. i also had the urged to do that and i think i patted his back too when i first saw him. i guess he did not want sympathy. i left after about 45 minutes.

i have colleagues who went this morning, before the burial service and they said joshua looked very sad.

well, i hope joshua will be strong. afterall, his name means 'god is salvation'. i will not pity him because he does not need my sympathy. i want him to turn out well. i want him to be strong. i have faith in you.