I love to draw with all of my crayons.

My name is Janae, and I am 7 years old. I like to draw. Today I drew a picture of my family.  In this picture there is my mom, dad, and me! I was in the middle with a big smile.

I love my family. We play family games like charades. We go to the church, movies and out to eat together. I like when we have family nights! That's when my family gets together and have an outing. We have a lot of fun. We even go bowling and skating.

When I came home one day my mom was home from work.  She was sitting on the sofa. I was so happy to see her.  I wanted her to play with me. I asked, " Mommy will you play with me?" Mommy answered, "Not today Janae maybe tomorrow." I was sad because my mom always played at least one game with me. I did not understand.

At dinner time everyone is sitting around the table except for mom.  I asked my sister,  "Nikki, how come mom is not eating dinner with us tonight?" Nikki answered, " She is sick and resting right now." Later that night when I was getting ready for bed I heard mommy being sick in the bathroom. That made me very sad.

At night my mom and I would go to the window and look at the stars and she would sing  to me before bed. She would say, "Janae, let's find the brightest star."  When I would point to a star, she would ask, "What about Jesus?  Isn't he the bright and shinning star?" I answered her, "Yes mommy!"  She said, "Janae whenever you miss me look up at the stars at night and know I love you more than the stars you see."  She kissed me and hugged me tight. However, tonight was different. Mommy looked sad and I didn't know why.

One day when I came home from school my Nana was there. I ran to my mommy's room and she was not there.  I asked Nana, "Where is mommy?" She said, "Mommy is not feeling well, she is in the hospital."  This made me sad and I began to cry.  Nana put her arms around me and asked, "Would you like like to see her?"  I said, "yes."  So we went to the hospital.

When we reach the hospital I had to wash my hands and put on a  mask before I entered mommy's room.  The nurse smiled at me and said, "You are such a big Help! This how you help your mom from catching bad germs." When I entered the room mommy was laying in the bed. She turned and smiled and gave me a weak hug.  I began to cry because Iwas scared. Mommy said, "Janae it's alright I will be home soon. I just need a little rest and some medicine."

When mommy came home from the hospital, she was much smaller than she was before.  Her hair was really thin and her eyes did not sparkle the way they use to. Now things are different, she stays in bed and eats very little.

Daddy made dinner tonight. my goodness! It was not good at all! Oh, how I miss mommy's cooking. Mommy and I use to bake cookies and make rice crispy treats. Since dinner , Daddy decided to call Nana for help on tomorrow's dinner.  This made us all very happy! Nana cooks better than mommy.

One day when I came from school my Nana was there. I was so excited to see her. She's is here to stay for a while.  She cooks and clean and even reads to me at bedtime.  She makes funny voices when she reads to me and sometimes we make sounds like the wind blowing or door closing.

I miss mommy talking to me about the stars.  One night after I got ready for bed, I went into her room to say Goodnight and give her a hug and kiss.  She asked me if I still look at the stars.  I told her no.  She sat up in the bed and told me to open her window so that we could look at the stars together. From that point on, I went into her room every night.  This eventually became our special time.

On Thanksgiving Nana made a big dinner and all the family came to eat.  Among the people there were my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  I had a great time. We ate a lot of delicious food and desserts.  My cousins and I played kick ball, jumped rope, played tag, and then later we all played charades. But mommy stayed in her room.  Each time I passed her room someone was going in or coming out.

On Chistmas, daddy brought mommy out of the room to watch us open our presents.  Mommy gave each of us a special gift. It was a heart pendent on a gold chain.  She told us to wear it close to our heart to remind us of how much she loves each of us.  We enjoyed the day together, then mommy had to go back to bed.

Today when I got home from school there was a nurse there and mommy was in the den in a bed like the one from the hospital.  Daddy sat us down and told us that mommy was very sick. I was very sad an began to cry.  Daddy hugged me and told me not to be afraid.

Daddy said he needed each of us to help make things easier by helping each other. He also said we should be as quiet as possible so that we would not disturb mommy.

I read to mommy each day and told her about my day. My sister would sing to her and brush her hair. My brother would keep her up to date on the latest family news or a new joke he heard and we would all laugh.  This made mommy smile.