Life after the fire.

It's been a roller coaster of ups and downs.

I've shed more tears these past 2 weeks than I have in the past 12 months.

I've cried over what we've lost.
I've cried because the kids are sad.
I've cried because I feel lost.
I've cried because I can't sleep.

I've cried a lot over the bad things. Then I've shed a lot of tears for the happy things.

The Mother's Day art brought home by my kids from school and day care.
The gift cards given by friends and strangers.
The meals cooked for us, and the offers to come back for more any time.
The amazing work done by old friends and new friends to raise some money to help us out.
The overwhelming amount of 'stuff' that people have donated. Clothes, toys, food, books...

People. Are. Amazing.

There is no time in your life that you are truly alone. You might feel alone, but there are 100 people waiting in the shadows to put a hand on your shoulder and guide you when you feel you can't go on. Every single day since it happened, every single day, there has been at least one gesture of kindness. It's not always 'stuff', sometimes it's words. Sometimes it's the invite to lunch, when you really need company. It's the unspoken words when you get a hug that lasts just the right amount of time for me to tear up but not overflow.

I will forever be grateful for all the kindness I've been graced with the last 2 weeks.

And I will absolutely continue to pay it forward throughout my life.