It's been a long time since I've come here and it's been both very painful and very sweet looking through past posts, comments, and photos.
Ellie and I have been surrounded with support and generosity over the past 5 months that Chris has been gone and I haven't been able to bring myself to sit down and write a single thank you note. So I just want to share how immensely grateful we are for all of the support we've received from our village, near and far.
The dinners you've cooked and ordered and GrubHub gift cards you've sent have made it possible to make one less decision every day. It's allowed me not to feel guilty about not being able to cook yet. Food is such an expression of love and there is so much love in this type of support.
The gifts and activities for Ellie have allowed me to have some quiet time with this busy 2 year old and provided ideas that I didn't have to come up with or scroll Pinterest to find. They have given her joy and I have watched her creativity grow with each new adventure. The clothes and shoes are beyond where my brain was at, thinking about anything beyond today; but yes, she's growing, and quickly -- she just loves picking out her clothes and getting to see a new dinosaur dress or strawberry shirt in the pile can make her whole morning better. The recognition of the difficulty in trying to parent a 2 year old in the midst of life being flipped upside down is beyond thoughtful.
Your donations to our GoFundMe have allowed me to breathe. It has provided me the ability to quickly move through the often-lengthy and always-challenging process for buying a new house and selling the one we just built. It has created the room to be able to hire a whole team of folks in the community to do this with me so I didn't try to take it all on myself - and quickly; an electrician, handyman, lawnmower, cleaner, organizer. It has given me the opportunity to make our new house into our home. The financial aspect of losing a spouse is unfortunately a significant and stressful piece of this puzzle and I'm so appreciative that you all recognized that immediately and have jumped in to help.
There are so many other ways you have all supported us these past 5 months, and for the many years before that while we navigated the challenges life has thrown our way. It's overwhelming to say the least. So, thank you.
xo,
Andrea & Ellie