The Team
"Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable." ~Kenyan Proverb
This morning I woke up in a hotel in a city far from home to the phone call we all knew was coming. My mom passed away in her sleep after a long battle with cancer. After the obligatory calls and many, many tears, I mustered the energy to pack my suitcase and begin the travel home. Rote memory kicks in at times like these. I don't remember thinking, but somehow I managed to put on make-up and clothes and grab some final items.
In the midst of the numbing grief, the support came. First in the form of a call and text from my boss, then another from her boss, then a call from a coworker with tears all the way around. I don't know how to accept support. I'd rather stick my head in the sand and ignore the pain than to allow my friends to pick me up. This was not an option today. By the time I made it to the hotel lobby for checkout they were there. More tears, more hugs, just standing strong for me and being by my side. When I arrived at the airport, my coworker had already paved the way for an earlier flight and a seat on her plane. The first thing I remember is the phone call, the last thing I remember is walking into my house, what happened in between was the most amazing team hand off I've ever witnessed.
I picture in my mind a mob at a concert where a person is lifted above everyone's head and put on the stage, transported slowly by many hands working together. This was the bucket brigade fighting to put out a fire. This was the football team in perfect unison getting the ball into the end zone. Everyone taking their place, everyone knowing what to do. The momentum of a good team is tremendous, being on the receiving end of that type of energy is unexplainable.
We all will have our time of being raised above the turmoil and carried in the hands of others to safety. We will all have our time of needing to be tucked close to the heart of those we call friends and carried to the end zone. We will all have our time of being handed gently from one support to another. For me that day was today ~ for the strength of my team I tremendously thankful.
This morning I woke up in a hotel in a city far from home to the phone call we all knew was coming. My mom passed away in her sleep after a long battle with cancer. After the obligatory calls and many, many tears, I mustered the energy to pack my suitcase and begin the travel home. Rote memory kicks in at times like these. I don't remember thinking, but somehow I managed to put on make-up and clothes and grab some final items.
In the midst of the numbing grief, the support came. First in the form of a call and text from my boss, then another from her boss, then a call from a coworker with tears all the way around. I don't know how to accept support. I'd rather stick my head in the sand and ignore the pain than to allow my friends to pick me up. This was not an option today. By the time I made it to the hotel lobby for checkout they were there. More tears, more hugs, just standing strong for me and being by my side. When I arrived at the airport, my coworker had already paved the way for an earlier flight and a seat on her plane. The first thing I remember is the phone call, the last thing I remember is walking into my house, what happened in between was the most amazing team hand off I've ever witnessed.
I picture in my mind a mob at a concert where a person is lifted above everyone's head and put on the stage, transported slowly by many hands working together. This was the bucket brigade fighting to put out a fire. This was the football team in perfect unison getting the ball into the end zone. Everyone taking their place, everyone knowing what to do. The momentum of a good team is tremendous, being on the receiving end of that type of energy is unexplainable.
We all will have our time of being raised above the turmoil and carried in the hands of others to safety. We will all have our time of needing to be tucked close to the heart of those we call friends and carried to the end zone. We will all have our time of being handed gently from one support to another. For me that day was today ~ for the strength of my team I tremendously thankful.
I am so sorry for you and your family, I know you will miss your mom beyond measure. But I am so happy for your mom who was able to leave so peacefully and now is able to keep watch over you and the others she loved. No more suffering and nothing but joy! Hold on to all of those special people in your life and know you are loved by many! LOVE Lu
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