The Love That Surrounds Us

This weekend, we had a nice balance between work and relaxation, spending time 

with family and friends.  Shawn's very best friend, also named Shawn, and his son, 

Aaron, drove to our house all the way from Florida to spend time with him.  My 

husband's face lit up at the chance to spend a long weekend with one of his oldest and 

dearest brothers.  They took care of Shawn in a way that only a best friend could: 

playing guitar while he mastered his one handed drummer technique, watching all of 

their favorite concert DVDs, and enjoying a break from this estrogen filled home.  I was 

so grateful to have these two kind hearted souls in our presence, cooking my very 

best recipes and enjoying the sounds of our music room as it became alive again.  Having 

the encouragement of these two men brought Shawn a new energy and sense 

of determination.  Their visit brought him the best kind of medicine there is: 

unconditional love and support.

In between all of the male bonding taking place, we spent Saturday night and had 

Sunday dinner with the family.  It was one of those weekends that makes me love 

summer: sitting outside with an ice cold beer and good conversation, watching the 

cousins run free through the yard without a care in the world.  My aunts all clucked 

over Shawn like the mother hens that they are, showering him with love and 

Southern mama attention.  We got home on Sunday afternoon and took a nice long nap,

 the girls completely worn out from all the playing and entertainment.  These days, taking 

a nap is one of the greatest luxuries in the world to me.  To lie down in the middle of 

the afternoon with no other agenda than to rest: it feels like the most precious gift I

 could give my body.

It feels good to be out and about again, slowly recovering and getting back into our 

groove.  Shawn's accident has changed our lives in so many ways but one thing will 

always remain a constant: surrounding ourselves with good friends and family is where 

our hearts feel most complete.  One of my kind readers wrote me the most 

incredible comment last week: "At first I thought, she is one lucky lady to have such 

loving family members. But then I also realized - they are also lucky to have you - you 

are the love they surround".  You are the love they surround: I have repeated these 

words out loud every day since, it has become my new mantra.  When I am with 

my patients, when I am taking care of my girls, when I am feeling busy and 

overwhelmed and unsure of how it will all come together, I remember that the love I

 put out into the world will be returned to me tenfold.  The love that surrounds me will 

make me stronger and carry me through the days when I am not quite strong enough

 to stand alone.  Through all of the chaos and confusion, love will always lead me
home, bringing me closer to who I truly am.
What an incredibly encouraging thought.