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- Aug 18, 2013
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When I was 26 years old, my best friend in Australia lent my husband and I - no interest, no time limit - enough money to put a deposit on our first house. I was 25, DH was 21, and my girlfriend's last remaining parent had recently died and she'd inherited a lot of money. We paid her back and then some - but this one immeasurably generous act allowed us to get into the real estate market - and stay there. I can never say thank you sufficiently.
When I first became ill with Crohn's was the same time we relocated from Australia to the UK. I had to stay in Australia while my husband went on ahead to England. I stayed with one of my two closest girlfriends, and I was pretty ill. I didn't want to eat, and I was losing weight at the rate of 3 lbs a week. So, trying ot whet my appetite, every day, my friend would make me dinner - something that would tempt the most resistant appetite, trying to get me to eat and stem the flow of unwanted weight loss.
When I thought Humira was going to cost me $1600 a month, my best friend in the US called me and said "Would you like me to pay for this as a birthday and Christmas gift?" I said no - but I was touched beyond belief at the offer. This is the same man who I met through dog rescue, whose marriage was disintegrating and whose wife came out (then went back in - then came out again - then went back in again) shortly after they divorced. She didn't enjoy parenting - at her own admission - and he asked me one day if I'd ever wanted kids. DH and I, for reasons of our own, had not had children, and I had reached an age where it wasn't advisable for me to start trying. I told him "yes" - and he asked me if I'd be interested in being a mother figure to his kids during the time they spent with him (most of it). And thus started 2 of the most precious relationships in my life, and the closest thing to children I would ever have.
And lastly, my darling husband. We have dogs. Large, loud, demanding dogs. Every morning my husband gets up around 4am, brings them down from the kitchen where they sleep, and relocates from our bed to the spare bedroom, with said dogs. Somewhere between 5 and 5.30am, he gets up again and feeds them, before getting up to start his day. He does this every day of our lives.
Tim has always been a gentleman, inherently and innately. I remember when we'd been married only a year or two, and we came home to our apartment from being out for the day. As we climbed the steps to our front door, we both saw it swinging wide open. Without any thought whatsoever, he put his hand on my shoulder, pulled me backwards behind him, and then took the last flight of stairs 2 at a time. Once when we were out in the car - before the days of air bags - and I was in the passenger seat, the car in front of us jammed on its brakes unexpectedly. As Tim hit the brakes and we were flung forward, I felt his arm shoot out from the driver's side, across my body, protecting me from being tossed against the dashboard.
These are the things that stick in my mind when I think about the people who love me. Somethings were money based, some time, all effort.
So - aside from your parents - what are some wonderful things people have done for you? Let's share a little gratitude for those who love or have loved us.
When I first became ill with Crohn's was the same time we relocated from Australia to the UK. I had to stay in Australia while my husband went on ahead to England. I stayed with one of my two closest girlfriends, and I was pretty ill. I didn't want to eat, and I was losing weight at the rate of 3 lbs a week. So, trying ot whet my appetite, every day, my friend would make me dinner - something that would tempt the most resistant appetite, trying to get me to eat and stem the flow of unwanted weight loss.
When I thought Humira was going to cost me $1600 a month, my best friend in the US called me and said "Would you like me to pay for this as a birthday and Christmas gift?" I said no - but I was touched beyond belief at the offer. This is the same man who I met through dog rescue, whose marriage was disintegrating and whose wife came out (then went back in - then came out again - then went back in again) shortly after they divorced. She didn't enjoy parenting - at her own admission - and he asked me one day if I'd ever wanted kids. DH and I, for reasons of our own, had not had children, and I had reached an age where it wasn't advisable for me to start trying. I told him "yes" - and he asked me if I'd be interested in being a mother figure to his kids during the time they spent with him (most of it). And thus started 2 of the most precious relationships in my life, and the closest thing to children I would ever have.
And lastly, my darling husband. We have dogs. Large, loud, demanding dogs. Every morning my husband gets up around 4am, brings them down from the kitchen where they sleep, and relocates from our bed to the spare bedroom, with said dogs. Somewhere between 5 and 5.30am, he gets up again and feeds them, before getting up to start his day. He does this every day of our lives.
Tim has always been a gentleman, inherently and innately. I remember when we'd been married only a year or two, and we came home to our apartment from being out for the day. As we climbed the steps to our front door, we both saw it swinging wide open. Without any thought whatsoever, he put his hand on my shoulder, pulled me backwards behind him, and then took the last flight of stairs 2 at a time. Once when we were out in the car - before the days of air bags - and I was in the passenger seat, the car in front of us jammed on its brakes unexpectedly. As Tim hit the brakes and we were flung forward, I felt his arm shoot out from the driver's side, across my body, protecting me from being tossed against the dashboard.
These are the things that stick in my mind when I think about the people who love me. Somethings were money based, some time, all effort.
So - aside from your parents - what are some wonderful things people have done for you? Let's share a little gratitude for those who love or have loved us.
I realized even though I felt like I was struggling with everything in life I was doing a good job as a mom raising a compassionate, kind little person and ultimately that was what mattered most of all.
(We also went to the public school who pretty much said they couldn't offer him anything beyond the normal curriculum...this was back when schools only offered programs for kids who were behind).
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