Wednesday, November 23, 2011

No Strangers Necessary

In Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche declares that she has always depended on the kindness of strangers. I always that that was a romantic notion, getting by on the goodwill of total strangers but I have come to realise that will a passel of loving and generous friends there's no need to rely on strangers.

This is a crazy week for me. Before all of this cancer stuff I committed to planning a major fundraiser, be the parent volunteer for a noon hour club and help out with another school activity once a week at Dude's school. this is aside from the regular classroom volunteering I like to do at Mischief and Crafty's school. So when all the doctor's appointment started piling up I began to panic. I knew I couldn't be everywhere all the time; I couldn't, realistically, do everything myself.

That's where my remarkable friends and neighbors have come in. Not only have they stepped up to run the fundraiser, keep the noon club going and sub for my other volunteering, they have also offered to help with my regular life. I have friends and neighbors offering to drive the kids to activities, pick them up from school and keep them whenever I need help. Other people have offered to help me clean my house, do laundry and cook meals and still others have offered to take me to appointments and keep me company when I feel gloomy.

New friends, old friends and best friends have come running to help even before I've asked. I am overwhelmed and blessed. I don't know what the future holds, heck, I don't even know what tomorrow holds but I know that I don't have to do this alone.

This may seem sappy and random and over the top but I do want to thank every one who has offered a kind word, a prayer and a warm smile. I want to say thank you to those who have already stepped in and stepped up to give my kids a safe place and some stability. I want to acknowledge those who have done what they are best at, from amazing haircuts to arranging flights for my family to cooking meals. And I want to honour each friend and neighbor who has made generous and kind offers of help and support.

Your friendship is the rope that is keeping me tethered to Hope ... thank you!

Who needs the kindness of strangers? People who move away from their awesome friends!
~An old friend who I love and still need :-)

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