Children make coffin for dying teacher...

[MonkeyFunk]

A Dutch primary school teacher who is dying of cancer is overseeing one last project among her beloved pupils - they are making a coffin for her.

Eri van den Biggelaar, 40, has just a few weeks left to live after being diagnosed last year with an aggressive form of cervical cancer. Always popular at school, she asked the arts and crafts teacher to build a casket for her.

'Why don't you let the children make it?' replied her colleague and woodwork teacher Erik van Dijk.

Now the youngsters, who normally plane wood for baskets and placemats, are putting the finishing touches to what will be the final resting place for Miss Biggelaar. The children have sawed more than one hundred narrow little boards and glued them together, and only the lid needs to be done now.



more at:

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=37254&in_page_id=2


I wonder if they'll decorate it with spray-painted macaroni and pipe-cleaners.

[TOhioLiberal]

1. I'm of two minds with this...

...part of me is saying 'gee that's sweet' and the other is saying 'Creepy!' :wtf:

[KitchenWitch]

2. Most of me falls on the "creepy" side!

:wtf: indeed.

[MonkeyFunk]

3. yeah

I'm going with creepy.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

6. I thought the exact same thing.

[Gormy Cuss]

4. It may be a great way for the children to cope with the loss.

Kids feel so helpless and afraid of death most of the time. Hell, a lot of adults feel that way too.

[Nicole]

5. I think it's creepy too

I read the article & the kids are 4-11! Too young to be coffin makers. :(

[mitchum]

7. That's like something out of "Wisconsin Death Trip"

touching, but incredibly disturbing

[Blue-Jay]

8. Ya know what they *should* do.....

They should rig the coffin with a remote control device, where they can pop the lid, and make the deceased sit up during the funeral. That's what I would do.

[Shine]

9. Wow, that's pretty amazing and really touching, too. I'm impressed.

I honestly think it's a great way for the kids to deal with their feelings of loss and grief in a healthy, creative way.

It's also a way to for them to honor her and the impact she has made on their lives.

I, for one, think this is a very uplifting story. :thumbsup: Thanks for passing it along!

[HuffleClaw]

10. cool!

[Kali]

11. Death is a part of life.

I have read some wonderful stories about taking death back. I had both of my sons at home and would feel so priveledged if my death could be handled in the same way. The medical/funeral industry has robbed us of our connections to nature along with our money.

[Demoiselle]

12. Her impending death is terribly sad...but the children's gift is beautiful..

To be laid to rest in something made by loving hands...that's very moving. I'll bet it comforts her.