Because I simply don't want to forget about how people have been thoughtful, kind, and generous to us in the past 2 months, I wanted to make sure I jotted some of them down. Very early on, I attempted to keep track and write thank-you notes, but I quickly realized I couldn't keep up. Not even close. Plus, I ran out of thank-you notes. So, instead I just started praying that the people that were extending themselves to us wouldn't be the kind of people that would keep track of whether or not I wrote them a thank-you note and be bitter about the probability of it never arriving.
People's thoughtfulness towards us has made me realize two things:
1) I am not very thoughtful.
2) I want to be more thoughtful.
I'm working on it.
Here's a list of some things that people have done for us. Let it be an encouragement. A challenge. A place to get ideas of how to help others. A virtual hug if you realize you did something mentioned on this list. (And an apology if you did something and I did not think to mention it in this given moment when I wrote this post)
*Landon and Tate's former preschool teacher, who also works with the youth group at her church, helped prepare a meal for us with some of her youth group girls and then delivered it to us.
*Speaking of meals, we have had over 50 meals brought to us! Delicious! And SOOOO appreciated! Without this, we may have had cereal for dinner frequently. My weight loss during this would have been even greater than what it has been. And our freezer is nicely stocked for the coming month or two also.
*Someone special dropped off boxes of diapers, wipes, paper towel, and toilet paper on our porch.
*A neighbor made us a delicious pie with the words "Welcome Home" stamped on it and delivered it after Adam returned home.
*Over 190 cards/notes were sent to us while Adam was in the hospital. Thoughtful, encouraging notes were written on many of them. Words that came just when we needed them. I plan to save all of these.
*Two girlfriends finished processing and canning the remaining apples from the day of the accident. Another party of women had an applesauce making party and delivered even more to us!
*A group of staff/faculty that I work with at Kuyper College took a collection for us and gave us a very generous amount of Meijer giftcards.
*Various family and friends came from out-of-town/state to our home to stay and help wrangle boys, feed us, and provide moral support. Out of the 54 nights that Adam was hospitalized, there were only 11 nights when someone was not staying at the house with the boys/me. I sleep much better when I'm not the only adult in the house.
*The dining staff at the hospital, one woman imparticular, frequently brought me extra food at mealtimes when I was at the hospital with Adam (NOT leftover food!.....food of someone that checked out early or no longer needed a meal tray).
*Two different guys offered to mow our lawn for the rest of the season. Our driveway snowplowing is taken care of for the winter also.
*A group of college-age adults came to our house on 2 Saturdays and did fall yard clean-up.
*Several friends came to watch boys during the days so that I could be at the hospital with Adam.
*A small brigade of women came to our home to clean right before Adam came home. I keep the house pretty well picked-up.....but I let them clean our toilets. Our toilets. Neglected toilets that little boys use.
*People responded with thoughtful and generous monetary gifts to help with expenses during this time. Some were tucked lovingly in my hand. Some were mailed. Some were hidden in my jewelry box.
*Someone sweet dropped off pumpkins for us to decorate.
*Numerous people visited Adam at the hospital. Some brought in food from the outside. Some quickly popped in/out not wanting to disturb him. Some stayed and chatted for awhile. Some took shifts when he still needed to be fed and I couldn't be there.
*A friend, who is a massage therapist, brought her table over to the house one night after the boys were in bed and gave me a much-needed stress-relieving massage. I almost cried because it huuuurrrt and felt so good at the same time. Another thoughtful person insisted on paying for this special house call.
*A group of guys came over to help Adam rearrange the garage so we could get it cleared out to park our 2nd vehicle in.
*A friend did our laundry for 2 weeks.
*People prayed for us. They got their friends and family to pray for us. They had their churches pray for us.
*We had offers from people coming out of our ears. For caring for the boys. For meals. For help however we might need it.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Know that you blessed us and you helped us.
Thank you.
