Know Your Village

When a tornado hits a small town, it is always tragically beautiful seeing how the community comes together to support one another. It’s a clear reminder that it truly takes a village. This is so true for large scale disasters and for our own personal storms.

Sunday before President’s Day, I woke up from my 5 hour nap after my surgery to repair my ruptured fallopian tube due to a ectopic pregnancy. I rolled over and grabbed my cell phone and started texting. Luckily, we had the next day off due to the holiday. I first message my boss to let him know that I was going to take the rest of the week off. He immediately called and asked if I needed anything and to submit FMLA. I insisted on using PTO since FMLA is not paid but will look into the paperwork if I am gone more than a week. He checked in on me daily to make sure I was okay, not just as a boss but as a concerned friend. He reassured me work was covered and to rest and heal.

Next person I message was my daughter’s Girl Scout leader. I am the cookie mom and February was the middle of cookie booth season. I was signed up to run a booth the following weekend. I knew I had a week but wanted to let her know my situation. This is when I started to feel the swarm of support from my community.

The troop setup DoorDash and meal train for us. The hardest part was accepting the help. I didn’t want to be an inconvenience to anyone. I felt like I was already disrupting things. Sometimes it so so hard to work past the guilt but important to realize that people only want to help clear some of the stress for me.

Once I humbled myself, I felt relief. We were fed and checked in on daily. Bennie, my husband, was still away on his trip. I felt comfortable letting him continue his need vacation because people were reaching out, knowing we’re okay.

I messaged my friends as well. Far and near. I was surprised to see how many texts and calls I received. It still awes me knowing that people care about me and my wellbeing.

My village came out of the woodworks that week. So I encourage you if you’re in your storm or in the aftermath, to find and know your village. Your village doesn’t have to be only family or church. It can be the people you surround yourself with on a daily basis. Clubs, organizations, and friendships. That support is so vital to your healing, emotionally and physically.