In my short four years as a mother, I have often been both humbled by and grateful for the unexpected support I have seen from my community. When my husband recently suffered multiple fractures in his leg, our community helped our family in ways we never expected. Parenthood truly takes a village; and I am forever indebted to mine.
To our family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and acquaintances:
We are beyond grateful for unending support you have given us over the last three months. You did more than offer us support; you held our family together. He was dealing with the physical and mental consequences of a serious surgery that took him off his feet for 12 weeks. I was just on the other side of the first trimester of my second pregnancy. Our daughter was as active and energetic as ever. We needed so much help, but we didn’t know where to begin.
That’s where you came in.
You visited us at the hospital and cared for us in our home. For an entire month, you delivered meals that sustained our bodies and warmed our souls. I will never forget how it felt to share a home-cooked meal with my daughter when we came home after a long hospital visit. You all did more than we could ever expect – dropping off snacks and treats, providing transportation to physical therapy appointments, and keeping us busy with play dates. Even now, nearly 12 weeks later, you mow our lawn and help us around the house.
Things happened so fast that we couldn’t even identify how we needed help. I was worried about my husband, my daughter, and the baby growing in my belly. I felt torn between caring for my husband and caring for my daughter. I ached every time I left him at the hospital to pick her up from school. I cried every time I dropped her off at school and drove to the hospital to visit him. I hated that I couldn’t push his wheelchair and chase her around at the same time. I didn’t know how we would manage, until you came along.
I am forever grateful for those of you who understood that we were spinning, and simply offered whatever it was you had to give. From thoughtful text messages and hugs to helping with yard work and home projects, none of it went unnoticed or underappreciated. I am humbled by the friends and family who knew what we needed better than we did. I am grateful to those who showed up just to be here with us, and keep things feeling normal for our four-year-old. Thank you for stepping in when we were overwhelmed. Thank you for taking care of us when we couldn’t take care of ourselves. Thank you tending to our family.
We are so lucky to have you all in our lives, and to know that our situation is temporary. We may never be able to repay the favors that we’ve received, but I promise you all that we will share that generosity with anyone else who needs it. You’ve shown us what a village can do, and we won’t soon forget it.
