When my children were in the first years of their schooling, they always celebrated "100 days." Every day from the beginning of September, the class would add another popsicle stick to the can; when they got ten sticks in a can, they would bundle them together. After ten bundles... voila! One hundred day party!
Well, I'm not counting popsicle sticks, but I am now on my own countdown. One hundred days from now, I will retreat into the mountains with a group of courageous, war-weary, optimistic, ever-lovin' mamas. Our third annual "Moms Away" is somewhere in the not-so-distant future.
Between now and then, we will continue to strive daily to help our children heal, to find the humour in stress, to support one another through emails, Facebook, phone calls, quick visits, and other valued points of contact. I know that there have been a few times this year when my own situation was such that I didn't want to even post details to a private group; at those times, I would put out a call for 'positive thoughts.' And, my heart would swell with unspeakable gratitude as the messages came pouring back - "Thinking of you." "Praying for you." "In my thoughts." "Hugs." and so many more. Whether or not you know it, those small messages were lifelines, helping me through the crisis of the moment.
So today, I start my own 100-day countdown. As I think of you each day, I wish for you healing and hope.
One hundred good thoughts until we meet again.
In peace,
Teresa
