RIP - PIP

“Often, it’s the parents who are the keepers of the memory.”

As the keeper of the memory of Kuba's imaginary friends from childhood, I thought I should share today's events.  Today we had a funeral, a service for Kuba's imaginary friend Pip.  Pip is a fossa who Kuba befriended in 3rd grade with a group of other classmates who also had imaginary animal friends.   This past week, these now 4th graders had a playing session at recess and sadly, Kuba's fossa got shot accidentally and died.   He cried about it.  He came home and wanted to have a funeral for Pip and invite his friends.  He invited the 5 playmates.  One was able to come.  Today we had the service.  Anna made a little headstone, Kuba put on a nice jacket, and Anders, Jasper and I all gathered flowers and leaves.   We had the service in the park next door at the base of a large tree.   I teared up during the service, not for the loss of the  imaginary fossa, but because I felt such emotion about everything we've been experiencing lately.   My dad is on the edge of his life, almost 94 and teetering there,  on that fine line that divides the living from the dead.  My sister' fiancé, who has brain cancer, has just been given 6 months to live.  Also teetering on the edge of life and death.  And here we have Pip.  Kuba's brilliant attempt to - perhaps unconsciously- practice.  Practice experiencing the death of a loved one.   And I thought it was brilliant.  And I thought how lucky we are to have such a kid.   And I cried.  I needed the practice as well.   Life is such a weird journey, is it not?

And just as you might or might not expect, Kuba spotted Pip on the basketball court afterwards.   Yup.  Pip is in fact not dead.  He had run away after being wounded - and now he's back.  It happened  at the same magical moment that we had finished saying our sad goodbyes.   That's the thing about imaginary friends.  And the thing about kids who imagine them.  There's nothing predictable about it.