Miles is 7 years old and he does not ever talk about my Lyme disease, though I know it must be incredibly hard for him. He is the most mature little boy for his age and he always has been. He never participated in imagination-type-play, because, as he stunningly put it to me at around 3 1/2 or 4 years old, "Mommy, why would I pretend that? It's not real and it won't actually happen!" This same child raised over $1,500 for Haiti last year after the earthquake, of his own accord, by selling his artwork! Of course I am biased, but he is a very special little boy!
Though he's very intellectual, expressing his feelings is a huge struggle for him. What strikes me most about his Mother's Day picture is that I'm smiling at him with a heart over top of me, and he is frowning at me, although he has a heart in front of him, too. He is extremely stoic for a boy of his age, so in a way, it is a relief to see that he found a way through his art to express his sadness over my illness.
Despite the melancholy tone of the picture, it's indescribably beautiful to me and I proudly hung it up on my wall. It is the most wonderful Mother's Day present I could have ever received from him! Next Mother's Day, I hope to receive a picture just like it, but with my son smiling and his mama no longer in bed!
