It’s the Kindness

It has been a long time since I sat down to write and I am happy to be back at it. The pause was due to “a series of unfortunate events” that not only consumed a fair amount of time and emotional energy, but made me doubt my ability to say anything that you might want to read. The seas appear to be calming and I have created quite a list of topics I would like you to ponder with me over the coming months.

Before then, I would will try to lovingly put some of the challenging experiences I have encountered this year into a hope-filled perspective.

As those of you who graciously read what I write know, 2017 started with the death of my 83 year old mother. This was followed by the cleaning out and sale of my childhood home and the challenging transfer of my disabled brother to a nursing home in Wisconsin. In August, on the day of the solar eclipse (and my mom’s birthday), our youngest daughter underwent a risky surgery that had my husband and I holding our breath for 5 hours in the waiting room.

Of course wonderful and fun events occurred during this time period too, which helped me stay sane and reasonably steady. But what brought me to tears most consistently were the genuine expressions of kindness that came from every corner. Angels showed up and held my hand all along the way. Dear friends and family who made the trek to Michigan for my mom’s funeral and the neighbors and tenderhearted characters from the past who helped us remember our good fortune in having grown up where we did. My sibling’s unwavering commitment to supporting each other as we traveled this new path without our mother. The realtor who was so steady at the helm as we tried (from out of state) to prepare and sell the house on Middlefield Drive and who kept me from losing my mind when a last minute snafu delayed the final closing. The social worker who stood in line at the courthouse in Michigan to get me a new court date when at the last minute it was found that I needed to have a change made to my brother’s guardianship papers before I could move him out of state. The pilots who generously accommodated an ever changing schedule for moving my brother from one nursing home to another and who prayed with me on the tarmac for my daughter’s return to health. The humanity of the neurosurgeon who knelt down and held my crying daughter’s hand when he shared the news that it was likely she would have to defer her return to her graduate program because of a needed surgery. My family – the involvement of my husband and all the other doctors in the family as we tried to decide the best path to take to address my daughter’s health concern and my children for saying “of course I will go to Colorado to help Katie” following a successful surgery and return to school on time! And all along the way, my tribe of friends, who circled the wagons and consistently said, “We got this Kim”

I have been busy, and blessed. I am grateful to have been able to see the angels when they showed up.

My list of topics that have nothing to do with me is long, and I can’t wait to share it with you! Thanks for your patience and for hanging in there with me.

Love,

Kim