Be Loved (because you are)

In the flick “Wild,” the main character played by Reese Witherspoon stops every couple of 100 miles or so to refuel her bag, take a break and receive any packages she was supposed to receive during her journey. Once she received a care package from her ex-husband and enjoyed his personal note, while breathing in the scent of clean, new clothes. At another stop she rejoiced at having new hiking shoes….ones that actually fit her feet instead of causing pain.

Seeing these scenes made me smile. I know exactly what receiving packages in the mail can emotionally evoke. During my stay in Arizona while recovering from the bike crash, I was blessed with many deliveries. Getting an Edible Arrangement meant real food……..good food. Not to slam hospital cafeterias, but it is what it is. Getting food and things from my roommate helped a lot….I could actually try to pay bills on time. Phew! When my friend Ann arrived in town to be with me she brought cards that had been passed on to her to deliver from friends and churches I once served. THAT was pretty amazing. Made me feel connected and reminded me that I hadn’t been forgotten.

The VERY FIRST care package I received will be something I’ll never forget. It came to my parent’s home in AZ almost a couple of days after my accident. This is when I was under lots of drugs in the hospital and going back and forth between extreme sadness about my bad luck in the race AND anger that nobody was giving me my phone back…..yet. In any case, my parents brought in parts of the package, which was amazingly packed and shipped by my amazing friend Mikaila Burns. Mikaila literally hit the bullseye with this package and I literally cried when I received these goodies.

A few of the items Mikaila had sent me:

-face wipes (perfect…...so helpful!)

-feminine fun products (helpful beyond measure……)

-a new water bottle (YES!!! I had lost my water bottles in the crash and had nothing in the hospital…..I needed this!)

-comfy slippers (OMG, saved my life in the hospital...the little things they issued to me were really hard to walk on)

-new thick socks (literally wrapped me up in love and I needed that)

-hand sanitizer (totally necessary…….so glad she shipped this!)

-shampoo/conditioner, razors (because they stuff they give you in the hospital is pretty mediocre…..felt like a new woman after being able use this!)

-the most amazing stuffed animal…...my lamb! (can’t express enough gratitude for this….I needed something to cuddle, something to lean my broken right side on at night...it helped me not feel alone, strange or not!)

When I was discharged and actually got home to my parent’s place from the hospital, I really went through the box Mikaila sent and it touched me beyond belief. Mikaila jumped on the chance to do this and was literally the first thing I received in the hospital which made my life easier…..that and it helped feeling loved, connected and remembered. During the first week I remember being so afraid of being forgotten and alone…..rationally I understand and look back and know that’s 100% wrong...there was a lot going on that I wasn’t aware of at the moment. That being said, this package gave me peace and comfort during a time when I really needed it….a time when nothing in my world made sense to me and the grief of my new reality was too much to bear at times.

Being loved is powerful. Having mail and Edible Arrangements can turn my frown right side up. And trust me, whenever you have a tragedy and have to spend time in a hospital….broken and bruised…..have a good enough friend that will bring you a stuffed animal. Cuddling a stuffed animal helps, especially when you feel really crummy. 100%.

Be Loved (because you are). Be Brave.