Instant Care

I met her when facing one of the hardest moments in my life.

I met her BECAUSE of that hard moment.

My Dad was losing his battle with cancer, we had recently moved in with my Grandpa, and we were raising two young children. So much was heavy.

She just showed up.

She showed up because she heard what I was going through and knew what stress and pain I was facing. She knew because she had faced it before.

I had never met her before then, nor do I think I had ever seen her.

She showed up and I immediately knew I could trust her.

From the first moment she introduced herself in the doorway of my parents home, she had a compassion for me that was almost tangible.

She was someone I immediately knew I could trust with my most important treasure. My children.

She showed up. She helped. She loved. From the very start.

After my Dad passed, she continued to show up for me.

She showered me and my family with kindness and care. Meals, walks, so many ways to make us feel supported and cared for.

A friendship grew because of it.

We bonded over our shared experience of losing our hard working dads to a cruel disease.

We bonded over raising children.

She was what I needed when I needed it.

Years passed and we find ourselves living in a different state, many miles apart.

While this new chapter has brought much grief in the loss of what was comfortable and relationships I thought were forever, she has been one of the few who has consistently reaches out, keeps in touch and responds to my efforts for continued connection.

I am deeply grateful for her, not only for her care during that painful moment years ago, but for her continued care since.

Kristi, you are a jewel and I am so thankful for you.

Comments

Finding My Birth Mom Part 1: Searching

I've always known I was adopted. I am so thankful for this because it saved me from a lot of struggle throughout my childhood. I will forever be grateful to my parents for being up front about that. Here's my little story. My parents were told they couldn't have children so they started an adoption journey.... they planned to save for a while but then I was born and suddenly they had a daughter! A few months later, they discovered my mom was pregnant! My sister and I are 14 months apart. I never once felt resentment to being adopted or hurt and rejected by my birth Mom. I always had a sense that it was exactly what was supposed to be. Even still.... throughout the years, I felt a yearning to know her. As a child I would sometimes lay awake at night, wondering about my birth mom. Did she think about me? When my birthday happened every year, I always wondered if she was thinking of me that day. Was she happy? Did I have half sibli...

When I met Grant

I remember the day I met Grant Campbell. I was checking on my son who was playing in the yard at our new house. As I rounded the corner, I saw him talking over the fence to a guy I didn't know. The guy was very tall, had tattoos head to toe and I was instant nervous-mama. I should have known that my sweet child was a better judge of character than I was. That man he was chatting with was Grant Campbell, our neighbor and later our friend. A few days after, Grant and his wife Michelle brought over a little "welcome to the neighborhood" gift and that's when the friendship was born. They became fast friends. The guys would go shooting, us girls would have daily chats, coffee and shopping trips together. They eventually moved from next to us to across the street. How fun it was to help them plan out their dreams for this house! There were many hours of dinners, chats, phone calls over the next years that created a deep bond betw...

Yes, Go to that Funeral. It's Important!

I know people who say "I don't go to funerals". I get it. Sometimes they are uncomfortable. Sometimes they are painful. No one WANTS to feel those things, but I want to tell you why it's important and valuable to be there during those times. First of all, funerals aren't for the deceased, they are for the ones left behind. The ones who loved the deceased. The ones who are faced with loss. Let me tell you what your presence at a funeral can mean. It can mean "I am here because I care about you and the loss you are feeling" It can mean " I am here because the person who has passed meant a lot to me" It can mean "I am here because I've felt a similar pain". You may think your presence at a day like this doesn't have an impact but I can tell you from experience that it does. Those who take time to come share in a last farewell mean more to the family than can be put in to words. Even if you don't k...

Think twice before you talk to someone about their weight

I recently had someone comment about my weight.... I have gained about 30 pounds in the last months and I started this year doing something about it... but when this person made her comment.... I wanted to scream, cry and of course, eat. When you comment on someone's weight even if it is in "concern" for them, you are putting them in one of these situations. 1) They feel great the way they are, confident actually, and attractive and now you've cast doubt on all that. 2) They are already self conscious about it and you just made them feel worse. 3) They are aware they are over weight, are already on a diet or exercise plan but now you've made them question whether or not to continue because they don't want you to think they are losing it for you! You know those snide comments or "joking" comments you slip into conversation? Yea, you're not that sneaky and they can still hurt! Weight is a very personal thing and unfortunately a str...

Sanuks, Flojos and J-41 barefoot design shoes

When we were packing for our trip to Rome... I had to decide what kind of shoes to take for the extensive amount of walking we would be doing. I started walking here at home to test out different shoes to help me decide. I ended up taking 3 pairs of shoes on my trip. Before I review each of them, you should know that I am a flip flop girl at heart.... I would wear them year round if we didn't get snow! JEEP J-41-Barefoot Design The first pair I got for the trip were J-41, Barefoot Design... these were actually purchased for me from a friend who got them at Costco! I walked every day in these for 3 weeks and LOVED them! They are absolutely perfect for longs walks.... This is a photo of them in the Vatican. They were the PERFECT shoes for this tour! Anytime I walked on something smooth or even these were the shoes to wear. But, in the evening we went on a Roman night walking tour and these are a no go for this!...

Reenie's Ramblings

Search This Blog