If someone had asked me 5 years ago if I would be writing something like this, I would have answered a big "No way!" I never dreamed this would be a part of my life, or my family’s life yet here I am. I’m wondering if any of you reading can relate to that thought as well. So, before I get going just FYI, I am not a writer, but I absolutely love to talk to people, so I am going to imagine that we’re getting together for a coffee or standing around in my kitchen because you know that’s where the conversations happen!

My young adult daughter is currently in recovery from an eating disorder. One that she suffered and struggled with alone for 5 years before a diagnosis, which looking back all the signs were there. The medical community failed her repeatedly. She had multiple injuries as a distance runner that they just could not figure out. When I told her primary care doctor that I thought she had an eating disorder, he told me no she does not, she is just doing too much. What?!!! Look...

Several years ago, my son made the travel baseball team. It was a dream of his to be on this team. He tried out three different times before he finally got accepted.  Baseball quickly became everything to him. He went to every practice, every game, and took private lessons. He gave it all he had, plus some. A year later, he was cut from the team after the coach promised there would be no cuts made. I remember the night we had to tell him, and how he crumbled to the floor in tears. His world had been shattered after he had given everything to it.

That night, I crawled in bed with him. I held him close to me and felt his warm tears run down my arm. I thought about the evening and the events that led up to it.  Were there lessons to be learned? Sure. But at that moment, in bed with him, only one thing mattered- I needed him to feel my arms around him, I needed him to know he was loved and to know I wasn’t going anywhere until I knew he was OK.  

Friends, in this life, we will all enc...