A year ago this week my mother came over to watch my girls so I can attend a meeting. It all started with sharing breakfast before I left the house, but thirty-minutes into our time, her outgoing energetic self started to change, it wasn’t long before her symptoms progressed rapidly. An hour later I found myself canceling my meeting and going to the emergency room with mom. Four hours later and an angioplasty later my family was faced with a storm that we did not expect. The words “your mother is in heart failure and a balloon pump is what’s keeping her alive, she also needed a 5 bypass open heart surgery in less than forty-hours” hit me like a freight train. My world crumbled at that moment as I tried to keep myself together to ask the doctor follow-up questions and better understand mom’s reality.
What a year it has been! Ten-month recovery, forty-five doctor appointments, and three procedures later, mom’s wound finally closed and she officially began her road to resuming day to day life early March 2020.
To say last year was challenging is an understatement and I can’t imagine having to go through it without my faith and the people around me. My faith kept me moving forward, and it kept me believing and trusting. The people I have been surrounded with are some of the most amazing individuals I could ever ask for. Friends near and far called and texted almost daily, some took care of my children so I can be at the hospital with mom, they even picked up my girls from school. Meals, flowers, and financial support poured in beyond my wildest imagination. It’s amazing what we as humans can endure when we are surrounded by the right support system! My journey with my mom’s recovery was a tough one as I was her full-time caretaker, I was exhausted and overwhelmed; however, it was my support system that kept me going.
The individuals in your inner circle can either make you or break you, so choose wisely on who you would like to be in it. They will be the ones who will pick you up when you need it the most, but they can also tear you down if you’re not careful about who’s pouring into your life. My inner circle is one I am beyond grateful for and I can only hope I can support them the way they have supported me. Who is in your inner circle?
