52 : More People Care Than You Know

In times of tragedy, people's true colors come out.  It was amazing to me how many people came to my side.  As expected, family and friends were there for me at all hours.  But it was the other people in my life that really surprised me.  My colleagues were incredibly supportive - and not even just the ones that I was close with.  My dental hygienist offered to babysit anytime (seriously).  Even my cleaning lady was sympathetic.  She told me she'd charge me less and let me know she was available whenever I needed her.  It was my nanny, though, that truly went above and beyond.  She was pretty much the best nanny I could ever hope for (and I felt that way before any of this happened).  She always went that extra mile for me and for my kids.  I didn't tell her what was happening with my marriage at first because 1) I didn't want her to worry about her job security and 2) I knew she cared about my kids almost as much as I did so I didn't want her to worry about them.  When it reached a point that I couldn't keep this from her any longer, I sat down with her and told her what was going on.  She reacted in a more supportive way than I ever could've imagined.  She told me she loved my boys as her own, they were her priority and we could count on her no matter what.  I had trusted her and appreciated her before but now I truly adored her. She continued to be there for my children and even stepped in to help me out any way possible.  She did my laundry.  She brought me milk in the morning when I was running low.  She even washed my sheets and made my bed for me once (and do you know how awesome that was  to come to that after a long day at work?)  Seeing this outpour of love and generosity reminded me how inherently good people really could be.  I knew I had a large support network, but this was far more than I ever could've imagined.  I was loved and cared for by many many people.  I would be okay.