RUBY’S FRIEND PAT
A story to help children aged 7-10 years cope with loss.
BY CLEO CHENEY
Ruby is a little girl who has just started school and loves to play with her friends. She lives with her Mum and little brother, and she loves animals!
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Her best friend is an old owl she calls Pat, who comes to visit her every night and watches over her. He leaves a feather for her so Ruby knows he has been to visit and she can have his protection all the time.
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One night, Pat didn’t come to Ruby’s window. Ruby started to worry about Pat and wondered where he could be.
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Ruby would wait for him every night. She remembered to keep Pat’s feathers with her. Ruby knew that this would keep his spirit with her no matter what.
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When Ruby went to bed that night, she was very sad as she felt she was going to never to see Pat again. She decided to say a prayer and hoped that it would help. Dear God, Please give all animals of the world protection, care and love. I pray that my friend Pat is okay and safe. Thank you for giving us the gift of life, food and family. Amen
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When Ruby woke up the next morning, she was very sad about Pat. Through her sadness, Ruby became very angry. Ruby took her anger out on her Mum. Ruby’s Mum knows that she is sad at the moment because Pat isn’t visiting her anymore, so her Mum tried to comfort her. 7
Ruby was still praying to God every night. She tried to think of how she could see her friend Pat again. She was trying to think of ways and methods to see him again, but nothing seemed reasonable.
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Ruby was very sad and she was missing Pat terribly. Sometimes, Ruby would cry when she thought about Pat. But she realised that it was okay to cry because she had lost a close friend. She remembered her Mum saying that it is natural to show emotion when you have lost something that means so much to you. 9
At school, when Ruby was feeling really down, she remembered she had Pat’s feathers with her, and she felt he was watching over her. Although she couldn’t see him, she could feel his spirit. This made Ruby feel close to Pat and helped her to start feeling a little more like herself. She did have lots of beautiful memories of him. 10
Ruby has started to realise that as long as she keeps Pat’s feathers, she will always feel like Pat is there protecting her.
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Dear God, Thank you for giving me the strength to cope with the loss of my friend Pat, and showing me how I can always have him in my life. I pray for all of the animals in the world and ask you to keep them safe. Amen
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