Thank You!

I’m not one for sharing my personal details. I am, by nature, a very private person; however, it has been about 259 hours and 44 minutes since my life became very public. You could see my life go up in flames from miles away! For someone who prefers to do everything on her own, using small walls around herself as protection, I was forced to break down those walls and LEAN on so many amazing people.

I don’t have enough words to say thank you to everyone who showed up when I never expected them to, but I wanted to try!

Thank you!

Thank you to my Weber’s family! Management and coworkers who give the best hugs and emotional support that I could ask for. Thank You for stepping in when I needed to step out. Thank you for making my daughter the best dressed girl in her middle school with all of your donations to her new wardrobe! Thank you for showing up without me even asking!

Thank you to my teams, GAAshrm (Greater Ann Arbor Society for Human Resources), WWBA (West Washtenaw Business Association), WXW (Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw), and the SunTime News, for giving me a place to disconnect from the overwhelming situation and join a circle of friends who encourage and bless me in all areas of my professional life. You remind me that there will be a full and exciting life after this crisis.

Thank you to the staff at Skyline and Forsythe schools. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for two individual students who could easily get lost in the crowd.

Thank you to EVERYONE who called, texted, DM’d, emailed - to check in and ask how they could help or just to let me know they were praying for our family!

Thank you to EVERYONE who donated to gift baskets, gift cards, the GoFundme, or sent money or dropped off cash! The generosity has flooded me with so much love and peace as I can just focus on rebuilding our family life!

Thank you to Danny for driving hundreds of miles to sift through soot and wade through moldy water as I tried to salvage whatever we could!

Thank you to Carey and Aaron who cook the “best food” a barefoot twelve year old can eat in the midst of an immense life crisis, who provide a safe haven for a traumatized child searching for security, and Thank you to the village who brings my children in as one of their own, while I take the time to heal.

And Thank You to my soul-sister, my work-wife, and my rock. Jenny. She does an amazing job of showing up and allowing me space all at the same time. Thank you to her husband for sharing her with me!

Life might be easier on an “island” all by yourself, but over the last two weeks I have relearned what it means to truly let friendships in. I’ve got a long journey ahead, but I know I have a great support system to lean on when it gets tough!

What more can a person ask for?

Joni Woods