Monday, September 6, 2010

A Message of Thanks (from the inside)

it's no secret that i go to see a therapist a couple times a month.  being a therapist, it was hard to deny that my (our) situation would certainly benefit from a trained third party's experienced views.  and she has been amazing. and it has definitely helped me through some rough spots.  one topic that comes up from time to time is support.  support from friends, family, how ben and i support each other. i'm sure it's no surprise (especially to anyone who has experienced a tragedy, or something comparable) that when a challenging event is presented, many times those close to you go running for the hills.  and when my therapist asks how we are doing on the support side of things i have a lot to tell her.

and its the truth, ben and i have experienced something much different than what we've heard is typical.  we have marveled at the amount of support that we are offered by those close to us.  and we couldn't be more thankful. so this post is to say a quick word of thanks to everyone whom we hold dear.  and there are a lot of you.

Wyatt's grandparent's, far and near, are loving, accepting and sometimes even smothering.  in a good way.  they dote on him, spoil him and think everything he does is amazing.  just as grandparents should :).  Wyatt's aunts and uncles do many of the same things.  stopping by the house for an hour or two to play with him while we run an errand. they are known to outfit him in some pretty cool gear and let him stay up way later than he's allowed when mom and dad are home.  our friends are amazing too.  we are touched by offers to come learn Wyatt's needs, to sit with him, to be involved.

we love you all for it.  we love that you read about his diagnosis, that you ask questions, that you talk to us about how hard it is.  and we love that you bring your kids to play at our house, that you buy him carefully thought out gifts that he can enjoy.  we love that you send emails of support, that you don't hide from our difficulties and that you share yours.  we love you all for it.

and a surprising, but no less touching, gesture, the one that really got me thinking about how wonderful everyone is, was coming home from the hospital for a quick shower yesterday to hear the sounds of yard work being done.  no biggie, we live in the city and sometimes when the neighbor is string trimming (fancy word for weed whacking) in his yard it sounds like its in our yard.  but, wait, it IS in our yard.  i walked out the front door to find our 60+ year old neighbors cutting our grass and even sweeping our sidewalk.  'we know you have your hands full' they say.  i wanted to cry.  they didn't know we were at the hospital.  they thought we went away for the weekend.  and they still decided to help.

so when the therapist asks if i have enough support.  yes.  i think i do.
 

3 comments:

  1. I have a therapist that I have seen over the years and she has been so helpful. I haven't been able to get our insurance straightened out so I haven't been to see her since June. She has helped me so much that I tell everyone that they should have a therapist!

    I'm very glad that you have such an amazing support team. I can't imagine how good that feels, and how much strength that gives you. Our biggest support comes from my parents and you guys, here in cyber space! I don't know what I would do without all of the friends that I have made through blogging.

    Take care and I hope Wyatt is doing okay!

    ReplyDelete
  2. i'm so glad you are surrounded by such loving people it really makes all the difference in the world. i came home from hospital once to find 4 of my friends had done the yard, cleaned the house and put food in the freezer! these kids of ours certainly bring out the very best in people. not to forget that its also a reflection on you and ben to have such wonderful friends. it warms my heart to hear that your friends bring their children round to play i totally understand how little things like this (including playing with wyatt) make you feel . ( now i'm crying so i'll sign off. i hope he's doing ok leah, and i want you to know how much of a support you were to me. you give out and you get back. sending love xxx anne

    ReplyDelete
  3. Support is a wonderful thing to have. And I'm so glad that you are surrounded by love! It is so nice to meet you and your special Wyatt!

    Love ,Bree

    ReplyDelete