Compassion Summer 2021

Summer 2021 - Compassion | www.tcf.org.uk 21 Remembering Leopold Dafina, a young friend of ours from Romania, told me of her brother, Leopold, who, in 1994, at the age of nine years, was electrocuted on a pylon. Dafina, four years old at the time, says she doesn’t really remember Leopold, possibly because it was such an appalling experience, and forgetting is a sensible way of coping, particularly so as her mother suffered from depression. Knowing that anything tangible is re-assurance that Leopold had lived, I suggested that I had a copy made of a silk picture I had, which was beautifully embroidered with butterflies and peacocks. The colours are wonderfully vibrant, suggesting life, while the butterfly not only represents in ancient art, the soul leaving the body after death, but is particularly poignant for us bereaved parents because our beautiful children have such short, or shortened, lives, and that this could be given to Dafina’s mum. I also suggested that Leopold’s name and dates be underneath and that Agneiszka, another young friend, who writes the most beautiful script should do this. Dafina agreed and I had it beautifully framed by our local art shop. Dafina said her mother was thrilled to have the picture and her depression, for the most part, had miraculously lifted, except Dafina says when she ‘thinks too much’, and I think we can all relate to that! Chris and I were very touched when Geni, Dafina’s eldest daughter sent us a ‘Thank you’ drawing. What was totally uncanny, but wonderful, was that, without knowing the TCF logo, Geni had drawn an almost exact replica AND included a very beautiful red heart, also so representative of us. I showed Dafina several ‘Compassions which have many hearts (including Gina’s potato ones!) and she gasped with delighted surprise! I then suggested that Geni did another drawing this time for the magazine, with Leopold’s name and dates (which have been written by Noc, her elder brother), and you can see the result above. I am quite sure that on seeing this in our very beautiful and heart warming ‘Compassion’, that it will further help Dafina’s mum. As far as anything is a good thing following child bereavement, this is something that is AND after so many years! The power of compassion is indeed very great and for that we can only be so grateful, as it is this which sets us upon the road to recovery for as far as we find we can go. Margaret Smart