If you don't know what I mean when I use the word "loves," loves are friends. Often they are very dear friends, and I am lucky to have several of them. My loves have supported me and been there for me through both of my surgeries. I'm not even sure what I would do without them!
After my first surgery several loves visited me. My love Ellen drove all the way down from Philly just a couple days after my surgery. I was drugged up and out of it, so we mostly watched some episodes of How I Met Your Mother. It was awesome and just meant so much to me that she would go out of her way to visit me. She even brought me a bell for my scooter! My love Amanda also visited me and kept me company and ate lunch with me one day. Matt came and watched a movie and chatted with me when I was feeling a little better. When you can't leave the house on your own for a while and are home alone, a little company is the best gift in the world!
When it was time to try to leave the house last Fall, it was a really hard process. Every exit of our house has stairs, which were nearly impossible at times for me to navigate (even scooting on my butt or crawling on my knees - how do you stand back up again on one leg? It's not easy, I'll tell you that). Then my scooter/walker/crutches had to also make it down the stairs and out the door and into the car with me. It was SO much work for me to go anywhere when I couldn't walk. Just leaving the house was an arduous process, much less actually doing anything if I got out. My love Marcelle really helped me with getting out when I was going crazy. In fact, she deserves her own post sometime...
And then there was Deidre who helped me leave the house and get to physical therapy twice a week for several weeks before I could walk or drive on my own! Snickers always wanted to go with us on our adventures... We managed to get her to stay behind and made it to PT appointments, and even once all the way down to somewhere in Prince William County to complete paperwork so I would be able to coach when swim season started. Oh what adventures we had!
Loves who were further away sent me cards and packages. My love Nora sent me a good book to read while I wasn't able to do much else. Shannon and Terry sent me a package with movies and chocolate, one in the shape of a foot! Amanda sent me a game and homemade bread with a card before she came to visit me. I got cards from all over! And text messages, emails, fb messages, and phone calls were the best too! Loves took time out of their busy days to check in with me and see how I was doing.
Of course there's also my family. My mom who walked up and down the stairs multiple times a day when I couldn't, to bring me food and ice and whatever else I needed. My sister did the same when she visited and sat with me to keep me company many times. I remember the day my dad brought me dinner from Panera and added a special cookie for me. My Mimi and Gramps checked on me and brought me flowers after my first surgery. It was one of my Gramps' last outings ever before he died. After my second surgery Mimi made sure a get well card got to me and flowers with a balloon were on their way! My aunt is always checking in to see how my ankle is doing - I remember trying to talk to her when I had bad reception after finding out it was a tumor that caused the tendon to tear. I think I scared her that day! And Linda came right after my first surgery when I was in so much pain. She and John gave me an itunes gift card so I could have new music while I was sitting around and I remember having a huge Starbucks iced tea with her. She was ready to come sit with me after the second surgery when the rest of my family had plans, before my sister decided to stay with me instead.
All of these loves were simultaneously there for me and my family when we lost my Gramps last year in the midst of my recovery from my first surgery. The cards, love, and support came from all over. My aunt, mom, sister, and cousin made sure I could get up to the altar at church to do a reading at his mass and say the eulogy I wrote with them. Marcelle came down from Baltimore for the funeral that day. Linda brought food for everyone when things were crazy. Flowers came from Kim and Ms. GT... ;) Which gave us a good laugh when we needed it the most when we realized the flowers were of course from Kim and Rod and should have had the abbreviation MSgt. (At least I know it's not Ms. GT...)
These loves have shown me the greatest kindness. They are all very busy people who took the time to see how I was doing or make my day a little brighter when I wasn't doing so well. They are the reason I made it through a difficult recovery from a major surgery when at times I felt like giving up. I only hope I can do the same for them someday. And I hope that everyone can find these people in their lives and tell them how much they are appreciated, or be this kind of person for someone else in their time of need.
And I know I've missed a lot of people in this post - so thank you to everyone who has asked about my ankle or kept up with my blog, and provided encouragement along the way. There are really so many people who have shown me such kindness. I appreciate it more than you know!
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| My flower and balloon from my Mimi. |
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| Oooo - look who Amanda sent me! |
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