Who is in Your Neighborhood?

This is me and my friend Jenny during the Ben's Bells distribution at Red Rocks. Jenny is a good hugger....look at that hug.

Ben's Bells was started by a mom in Tuscon who unexpected lost her beautiful, three year old son, Ben. The message behind the bells is about spreading kindness, the power of healing, hope and a community.

Jenny has brought Ben's Bells to Colorado and on Saturday, we distributed those bells in the community for others to find them and pass them on.



Aren't they lovely?

I was talking to a coworker on Friday about my weekend and the Ben's Bells distribtion.

"I'm going to a non-profit event founded by a mom who suddenly lost her three-year old son."

Co-worker makes a sad face.

But I continued, "my friend Jenny, whose daughter has an anoxic brain injury started the organization here in Colorado as a way to spread kindness and healing here."

Silence and nodding.....I took a long sip of my diet coke. I should talk.

"What are you doing this weekend?" I asked

"Oh, the usual, soccer game, trip to Costco."

I sometimes forget to filter the things I am used to in our lives. I can talk lovingly about my daughter, switch to seizure control and talk about marketing plans in the course of two minutes. I forget that these things might not be the norm in other people's everyday lives.

When Samantha died, my Supermom friends and I talked about the possiblity that I might have leave our cozy nest of friendship.....that it might be too painful or a reminder of our old life. But this place, this place and the tragedy we share, continue to share.....and the hope, healing and kindness.....it envelopes your heart and reminds me of what is important. It is a place where we are not sad, we just are.

And who else hugs like that?