In every cloud there's a silver lining. In Kody's death, friendship has been a HUGE silver lining. When I saw Kody lying on the driveway I called Bailey and she came over right away. She sat by me while I cried. She stayed when the vet took Kody away. She invited us over for dinner. She lent us a dog for the night. She texted to check on me around bedtime. In short, she was a good friend. An amazing friend. Last night we had dinner with a few friends, and I was again blessed by hugs and shows of sympathy. I was reminded that the people around us care about us-- we are so dependent on one another, and it is a truly beautiful thing.

Bailey said afterward that she didn't really DO anything. Thing is, I didn't need anything DONE-- it had basically already been done. I needed a friend to walk through the pain with me. I needed someone to sit with me, to care. I needed someone to simply be there, trite as that sounds. Thanks, Bailey!

For most of us, it is hard to just be there. We want to fix something, do something. But there is a gift in simply being there that can't be easily explained. Maybe the gift is that we mirror a part of God that promises to be with us through every moment, both the good and the bad.

Garry is still in Manila, though he's headed to Northern Luzon tomorrow. He took his English Proficiency test today and apparently passed. We're hoping he'll make it home on Friday morning!