On 'Not Making it on Our Own"

As I've oft confessed, I love lyrics.

And I love Bono.

And I, so very clearly, cannot "make it on my own".

In this whole complicated process of packing up and moving 'home' there have been SO MANY PEOPLE, who have come along side us and helped us out. People who have emailed from other continents. People who cried with us. People who were there to answer the phone when I ended up in tears. People who walked us through what to expect. People who were honest about how they felt when they'd been in the same situation, giving us the freedom to realize it was OKAY to feel convoluted.

I am behind in emails, and thank you cards. (And so I blog?) I have been overwhelmed and humbled by so many people who have said the right thing at the right time. People who weren't afraid to ask how we were 'really doing' (My Russian friend, who I bumped into in Starbucks in our fleeting weeks in QD, said in blunt, and thoughtful honesty, 'You don't look good .... what's going on?' So I sat down and had the latte I didn't think I had time for, and had a chat that will always stay with me.)

When Shiraz and Tylenol PMs were no longer doing the trick. ("Kudos on combining wine with the Tylenol" my sister quipped, "I'm doing it for my liver," I retorted), I would climb out of bed in Qingdao and look at the sea, overwhelmed by the speed at which life was moving, but also by the tenacity of frienships that held tight, despite everything else. In the morning, with a strong cup of coffee to counter the effects of insomnia, I would play Bono's words loudly over the blow dryer :

Tough, you think you've got the stuff

You're telling me and anyone

You're hard enough

You don't have to put up a fight

You don't have to always be right

Let me take some of the punches

For you tonight

I knew then, what I know now. It was okay to feel weak. There were friends who cared and let us know. And often, it seemed, at EXACTLY the right moment.

For all of you who have reached out, sent notes, FB comments, emails or called. Know how much I appreciate your friendship. Know just how thankful I am for you.

Xie Xie NI!