I read a great story about 2 best friends...and then, they weren't together anymore and 12 year old Kaleb spent his time raising money for a headstone instead of playing video games or laughing with his best friend, K.J. And then, I found a poem that said it all, and made me cry, and made me remember why best friends are so important. ~Karla
Moving to Warren, Michigan wasn’t easy on Kaleb Klakulak. His parents had just divorced and the shy second-grader didn’t make friends easily, but that all changed when he met K.J. Gross. The boys were both quiet and were into the same things, so they hit it off instantly and became inseparable. Their mothers were both single moms at the time, so they bonded, too.
It didn’t matter to Kaleb that K.J. had limitations, having been diagnosed with leukemia as a baby, he suffered with severe allergies and sometimes he couldn’t go out. When that happened, his best friend Kaleb came over to his house to play. But K.J. died in May after his long battle with the illness and Kaleb was devastated. And when he heard that K.J.’s mom, LaSondra Singleton, couldn’t afford a headstone for his bestie’s grave, Kaleb, now 12, found a way to help.
He started doing odd jobs to earn money and he collected soda bottles all over town to recycle for deposits. Kaleb’s mom also set up a PayPal account last week to get donations for the headstone and they’ve now reached the $2,500 goal and will give the money to K.J.’s mom for the headstone.
Singleton says she hopes the story of her son and his devoted best friend will help ease some of the divisiveness in our country. “I hope that this brings some sort of closure to the division - that people will be able to see people of all races can get along,” she says. “And we do love each other.”
Source: CNN