Prayers for Tom

"Tom"
A bright, cheerful, brown eyed, 8 year old in my class this year.
He is one of our greatest helpers in the room.
Interested in history, writing, and helping others.
Always full of smiles and very, VERY, mature for his age.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to visit his mom in the hospital.
Tom's mom has been battling cancer for a couple of months now.
What started off as breast cancer has now metastasized to the brain.
She was undergoing chemo however, has become too weak to continue with
treatment.

For the last month or so, she's been just trying to regain her health so that the treatment
can continue. At this point, she isn't doing so well and the family is hoping for a miracle.

As I sat in the hospital room, looking at her fragile body, hoping and praying for her recovery,
Tom walked up to his sleeping mom and tapped her nose with his glove covered fingers.

He then looked over at me and said, "This button used to work."

Right then and there, my heart broke for Tom.
As a 7 year old, I wondered how he was making sense of this whole situation.
Tom's father already had a conversation with him telling him that mommy may not make it through this.

I wondered if he truly knew what that meant.

Despite the circumstances and his young age, Tom is optimistic.
He is still staying bright and cheerful.
I know for sure that Tom is trying hard to stay strong for his mom.

Right before winter break started last Friday,
Tom wrote in his writing notebook, "If I could have 3 wishes, I would wish for my mom to get better and come out of the hospital so that we can spend Christmas together as a family."

At a mere 8 years old, Tom has taught me that we must not lose hope in unfortunate circumstances like this one.

Looking at his situation, I am reminded that...
(warning~ I may sound like a hallmark card but this is truly how I feel)

~Life is precious yet fragile. Circumstances can change in an instant.
~Nothing is promised tomorrow. I wonder if we truly grasped the fact that nothing is promised tomorrow, if we would continue to live out our lives chasing after such temporary things?

If you had the opportunity to read this post,
I hope that you can pray for Tom's mom and his family.
That she may regain her health.
That they may stay strong and not lose hope.