badass mama tribe

I have no words and and I have all the words. All the words to describe how incredibly blessed I am to have fallen into an amazing network of women. We are moms, we have careers, but most of all we are so astonishingly THERE for each other---all the damn time.

As you may know, our family suffered a great loss recently. I do not intend to write about it because while it has affected me in unimaginable ways, it's not my story to tell. But in the immediate aftermath, when I couldn't remember the last time I had fed my kids let alone slept, my badass mama tribe got that shit done. As fiercely independent as we are, in that moment there was nothing we could do but ask for help and lean on these women---and we leaned hard.

These are the women you want in your corner. They will get you what you need without a lot of questions because they know what you want. How do they know? Doesn't matter. They. Just. Know. They are my ride or die(s).

From flowers, to food, to helping with my kids, photo collages, setting up my house beautifully for luncheon after the service and making me look like No. 1 daughter-in-law, these women accomplished it all. Oh yes, and I don't know what they did with the Sheraton but somehow we managed to get out of paying for four nights for two hotel rooms for the Disneyland trip that wasn't.

Literally, within 24 hours of hearing the news, two of them had already scheduled who was going to drop off and pick up J2 from preschool. When we needed a chair gone from my house, 10 minutes later one of their husbands was at my house to put it in his truck and haul it away.

This badass mama tribe of mine does not, however, overshadow the rest of the people in our lives that helped to make one of the hardest things in life a little easier. Friends and coworkers stopped by with meals, flowers, gift cards for meals, etc. Neighbors who put together a photo slideshow with music in the matter of minutes, and who also put together play structures in your backyard, even out the concrete on your patio, and let your kids watch TV at their house while you meet with the funeral home. Many thanks to the Bishop family for everything they did and for everything they do for us always! If they ever move, I really hope the house next door to them is also for sale because I am going to move there.

Pastor Todd told us that you reap what you sow, and he wasn't surprised that we had such a tremendous support network. I hope he is right and that the fact that we had so many people in our corner during this difficult time means that we are the type of people that have sowed the seeds for good and lasting relationships.

Thank you to everyone who helped us and continues to help us. This is like an Oscar speech. I'm probably forgetting someone, but please know that my heart is so full of the outpouring of love that we experienced during this time. You're kindness and compassion were overwhelming. In a good way. So thank you!