All in a Week's Time

It's funny how life works sometimes.

It's funny how the highs and lows of life hit.

In the span of one week, I've seen and felt (felt as an observer) the highest of highs and lowest of lows in life.

Last Tuesday, one of my very best friends, Julie, gave birth to her first child.

Julie and I work together and have been friends for nearly 9 years. Since we are both friends and co-workers and talk on a daily basis, I had a firsthand account of her entire pregnancy, talking with her as she planned and prepared for her sweet son, all the things that come with impending motherhood.

Another good friend and I waited (impatiently) all day for her husband to update us on Facebook of the new baby's arrival. At work all day, people anxiously asked for updates. We could hardly stand the wait. And then he was here.

I most definitely teared up seeing the first picture posted of that sweet baby boy and later pictures showing him with his two proud big brothers, his daddy, and his mommy.

It was such an exciting, happy day to watch, even from afar.

It was a major high.

On Sunday morning, our very dear friends, the Perry's, lost their beloved husband, father, and grandfather.

I've mentioned Scotty P. before. He's Bill's best friend and has been for over 15 years. Bill considers Scott's family his family, and as an extention of Bill, I do too. The Perry's are a wonderful family who love each other so much and love to laugh together. Jerry was such a big part of that, maybe the biggest part.

B and I spend all Saturday night, into the early morning Sunday, sitting with Scott and his family at the hospital as Jerry's situation steadily became worse. It was one of the most awful things to witness as these wonderful people tried to wade through their emotions and grief. But, I was glad that we could be there to support them and hope that in some way, we were able to give them some amount of comfort.

On Sunday, I took a step back and realized what had just happened in a week's time. I've never experienced anything like that before. It seemed so surreal to have these two major life events happen in such a short time. I know it happens every day, every hour really. There is life and new death every day. But, to see these things happen to people I am so close to really hit home to me.

Life is strange like that.
It is beautiful and precious.
It is made up of highs and lows that we sometimes don't even see.
But it is all life nonetheless.

Welcome to the world sweet baby boy (who I hope to meet, live and in person, really soon!).
And, goodbye, Jerry, a man I am so happy to have known.

A