forty days

It was maybe eight a.m.

I think I had already brushed my teeth but I was still wearing the clothes I had slept in.

Trying to edit a few photos, I had my back to the door in our school room when I heard footsteps.

I glanced and saw Kevin and I stood up to tell him good morning.

And then I saw Sally.

Sally!

In my house at eight o’clock in the morning!

In my house in South Carolina!

Incredible. Unbelievable. Surprising.

So so sweet.

I don’t think I even realized the amazingness until after it was over.

Sort of surreal to share breakfast with Oma completely unexpectedly.

She made us crepes. A breakfast tradition years in the making but one that hasn’t been as regularly followed after we moved away from Virginia.

I mean, she drove all the way from Virginia to South Carolina to make me crepes!

Every day I have been greeted and surprised and humbled and flattered by the bounty of my friends’ kindnesses.

It’s remarkable.

An abundance of riches.

I have not felt worthy but I have felt so loved.

Emma asked me which day has been my favorite so far.

I can’t imagine answering that.

Every. Single. One.

I’ve spent days with friends like Beth and Gretchen and Bob and my oldest daughter!  I’ve had delicious cookies and pound cake and waffles and crepes prepared lovingly just for me. Kind messages and a day of such encouraging texts that I can return to for uplifting for months. (I think I’ll print them actually. They were so uniquely encouraging.)

I’m still in a kind of a euphoria that I know this many people who love me enough to sacrifice bits of their time and energies.

I love this forty days of forty celebrating.

I should have turned forty years ago.