Making Connections

I've been taking it easy the whole week. No, scratch that. I've been in bed for the most part of the week. I'm sick. I've got a slight fever and a bothersome cough that doesn't want to let up even at night. Top that off with the lost of my voice. The change in season always greets me like this. A punch in my immune system that leaves me flat on my back.

So all scheduled activities have been halted. Except maybe going to the naturopathic doctor who gave me elderberry and maple buds, which make a good warm tea that soothes the throat. She told me to skip the aqua aerobics and gym and rest, rest, REST. Oh, and drink TONS of water. Of course, the rest part is quite difficult to follow-through. I've been dealing with a lot of stressful stuffs lately.

I get easily aggravated and frustrated these days. A small hitch and I tend to think the worst in situations and in people. Good thing my husband is here to show me another perspective or else I would have completely lost faith that any good will come out of any situation or of people. I find it a struggle to be that person with hope again. Perhaps, this is why all manner of ailments have manifested themselves in me last week. *sigh*

But this weekend has been a good one. I get to rest and recover. I'm not too congested anymore. And I'm actually able to speak again. Granted I sound like a man speaking out of a trombone, but it's better than squeaking and lip-whispering. In fact, I feel well enough to go outside and get some fresh air. Actually, I had to accelerate my recovery to be able to attend a butterfly-release-cum-fundraising event today. So I slept most of Saturday, down water, juices, herbal teas, chicken soup, Vietnamese pho, Japanese miso soup, and took several doses of Vitamin Cs.

I couldn't miss the event. A friend of mine, who works for a non-profit cancer hospice center, has sent me an invitation and told me that she'd sponsor a butterfly in memory of Kai. So there's no way I would miss this meaningful event. It was also for a worthy cause - raising money to help  the non-profit provide continuous support for cancer patients and their families. I'm thankful that she remembered Kai. It was such a nice gesture.

Then my husband and I drove to San Francisco to meet with Priscilla, James and Oba. This meeting wasn't really planned. It happened that Priscilla and her husband are making a pitstop in SF today. I read about it on her blog and commented that they'll be in my neck of the woods. We then exchanged emails to explore possibilities of a short meetup somewhere in the city. A few phone calls and texts later, we met at Pier 39.

Priscilla and me. I looked cold. I'm not good with cold. I should have worn a thicker jacket.

It was a short meetup, but we were able to talk about various things - their trip, the weather, our dogs, TV shows, donuts - like regular couples hanging out after walking the length of Embarcadero. I'm sure we looked no different from other couples hanging out and talking in the sidewalk cafes of SF.

We didn't talk about our losses. I think there was no need to. We understood each other in that quiet, knowing way. We knew where our hearts lie and we knew of our similar struggles. There was no need to inform. But only to be. And we did just that. It was a good feeling to not be awkward or embarrassed eventhough this was the first time we met face-to-face.

I wished we had more time to get to know each other, though. My husband and I realized that we didn't really ask Priscilla and James the usual getting-to-know-you-questions like "What do you do?" "Where did you grow up?" etc. And we just noticed this when we were in the car, driving home. (If you're reading this, Priscilla, I'm sorry about that. We seemed to have been distracted by doggy-talk.) (^_^)

Priscilla and James. I can't believe I forgot to get a picture of Oba! (;_;)

But it was nice meeting the person behind the blog. Another mother like me. It really amazes me how connections are made via the BLM community. It's sad that we've all met under the circumstances of our loss, but somehow it's comforting to know that we are not totally alone in our grief. I'm thankful for this meeting and if another opportunity presents itself like this again, I would jump at it. So if any of you mamas out there happen to visit the Bay Area, I'd be happy to meetup with you even for a short while.

Ladies, fellow mamas, thank you again for such heartfelt reminders that eventhough I'm in this because of my loss, I know I'm also a part of a wonderful, big-hearted, accepting community. And this gives me hope and much-needed solace during dark days and not-so-good weeks.