Reconnecting

I had an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend today. I find it so interesting that life always seems to give you what you need when you need it.
We caught up like old friends do, without missing a beat. I find this particularly interesting because our friendship was something that came out of a forced relationship.

Nicole first entered our lives when Kate was just four months old. Kate had just been diagnosed with torticollis. We were instructed to seek treatment at a local clinic specializing in pediatric physical therapy. Nicole became our specialist, teaching Kate to walk at 10 months and by the age of 1 Kate had graduated and could walk up and down stairs, run and showed no permanent signs of damage.
During this time, Nicole didn't just treat Kate she educated me. She taught me how to properly hold Kate to give her neck the right stretch, how to encourage Kate to switch legs while crawling, how to roll my little 4 month old baby around on a physio ball to get her to use her muscles.
Nicole was nothing short of amazing. I know that Kate has no lasting problems because of the care and the love that she got from Nicole.
Nicole is now a mommy herself to a beautiful little 14 month old and we've created a new bond. A bond not because we have to but because we want to.

All the people that I'm surrounded by offer different things. Some are good at playing devil advocate when I'm brainstorming a stupid idea. Some are good at listening when I need an ear. Some provide wonderful distractions from the day to day drama. Some help me remember that my life could always be worse.
I'm grateful for each an every one of them, really, for all of you.

If you're reading this, you're giving me something. A kind ear, a silent prayer, an internet hug, a real life hug, a piece of advice and many of you just restore my faith in humanity. I appreciate all of you.

Old friends, new friends, my family.... thank you for holding me up during the dark days and making the sunny days even brighter.