Remember Kristen, my student who's mother and father died? Well, for the last 7 weeks or so, she has seemed to be doing really well. Although, this morning she came to class in tears. I saw her talking with Ella so, I asked Ella why she was crying.
Ella said, "In Buddhist tradition, when a family member dies, the entire family mourns their passing every 7 days for 7 weeks. On the 49th day, they let go of that person and allow them to pass on to heaven." Yesterday was the 49th day since Kristen's mother passed away and as you can imagine, for an orphan, letting go of a parent, completely, is a very difficult experience. She is a strong girl though, and I know she will make it through... my heart just goes out to her, especially today.