My Village

We've all heard the phrase, "it takes a village", and whether or not you like that one or not, we all have to agree on the fact that life is made easier with good friends and family.

Last week was a testiment for that phrase in my life. Mike was away hunting and I was still battling to get more sleep out of Maisie. Who knows sleep is a foremost necessity when you are running solo in parenting? Enough said. And guess what? I survived.

Here's why:

There was this woman who, although was right smack in the middle of moving into their brand new home, answered the phone every time I called ( 4 times in a week?) even though she knew it wouldn't be a quick conversation. Could she have said, "well, I really gotta go and get something done now"? Yes. Did she? No. She brainstormed, agonized, and encouraged me.

There was this woman, who let Daphne come stay a whole afternoon, to lighten my load - - and it did.

There was this woman who managed to keep tabs on me all week long. I could feel her prayers. I called and she stopped and listened, we worked out and she listened, she rushed to my aid one morning when I needed someone to sit with Ruby. She was my cheerleader.

There was this Great-Grandma, who welcomed us in unannounced one evening at 6PM. She danced with my girls, took them potty, and fixed them snacks - all with a big smile. Did I say she is 80?

There was this neighbor, who took Daphne to school at 7:45am, when because I had been up 6-7 times! in the middle of the night, was running late the next morning.

There was this mom, who watched my girls while I got to get out of the house and go to a fun baby shower one night.

There was another mom, who invited us over for dinner one evening, even though she had worked all day herself. She even had a care package for our Thanksgiving trip all put together.

There was this cousin, a student at a nearby University, who made time in her busy schedule to come take care of my little ones, so I could take a little one to the doctor.

There was this amazing father, who picked up his daughter-in-law's altered jeans at Nordstroms - Yes, I'll say it again. A man went into Nordstroms to pick up jeans that had been altered, and made sure I got them that same day...AMAZING.

There was this pediatrician, who listened compassionately to a mother's concerns over her daughter's sleep antics, and then said, "Good news - she's still a normal, bad news, you're just going to have to keep your chin up and get through this transition time."

And finally, there was this husband, who came home from hunting a whole day early, to surprise his bride of 10 years, with a date at a nice restaurant (babysitters all taken care of in advance) and a stunning pair of diamond earrings.

So in summary, my week was really hard. I prayed out loud daily for patience and energy. And you know what - it worked. But the energy didn't come spilling out of me - it came spilling into my life through these above mentioned people. And the best thing, is that this is just a part of "my village"....

Blessed. (and since Mike has come home, Maisie has been sleeping in....drumroll...to 6:30am!)