Dedicated to Those That Take the Time to Help the Grieving

I honestly was amazed by the graciousness of so many people.  Food and flowers arrived in great abundance.  I was thankful to be remembered in my time of mourning.  Friends came out of the wood work to visit me.  Some even told me that they had loss their own baby and had just never talked about it.  I wanted to hear every word about their loss because I needed to know I wasn't the only woman that had to bury her child.  I hurt for them as they revealed their ordeals.  It was healing to me.  I think it was for them also.  Do you remember my friend that went into labor and we rode up the elevator to maternity together?  Remember how jealous I was of her?  She sent me flowers.  I learned shortly after getting those flowers that her daughter, which had been born alive and crying, had now been diagnosed with Downs Syndrome.  My heart went out to her.  We are still friends many years later and her daughter has been such a blessing to us all.
I was physically feeling better now even though it had been less than a week since I delivered.  I was over-whelmed with cards and letters.  I read each of the messages so intently.  So many people taking their time to write me, come visit, make food or order flowers.  I was humbled.  Their gestures were so appreciated.
I have kept every card, note, gift book, little cards off of the flowers, and the list of who brought food and what they brought for over thirty-seven years now.  I get them out more often than you would think and go over every word.  They still touch me today as they did then.  I guard these treasures and have taken them with me every time we have moved or been evacuated for hurricanes as we live on the coast of NC.  One friend in particular that I grew up with wrote me two different cards filled up with her wise and loving words.  Later in life she faced her own tradegy.  First, her husband died of a heart attack at a young age.  Just a very few years later, one of her two sons was killed in a car wreck when he was about 18 or 19 years old.  How does one deal with that?  My heart aches for her even now. 
I guess this post is just dedicated to the people who HELP those grieving either by written words or visits or flowers.  THANK YOU!  May God bless you for taking your time to help.  I am living proof that your acts of kindness live on long after the tradegy takes place.