It’s funny how much of an immense impact certain people can have on you and your entire life. Whether this impact is positive, or negative, you never truly know until you take a step back and analyze your past. The world is constantly moving, and days pass quickly without even realizing the memories that are made and the lifelong bonds that are formed, and maybe bonds that are broken.
You do not appreciate the little moments with loved ones when you are living in the moment. The realization occurs as an afterthought, and you think about how lucky you are to be surrounded by such positive, caring and loving people.
By no means am I a perfect Catholic, however, I do believe that God carefully places others in people’s lives for a reason. Whether that reason may be small, or life changing, there is an ultimate overall purpose. In my case, God decided to place a certain person in my life right before I hit rock bottom. He knew before I did that I would need this support system more than anything in the world.
It started out small, we gossiped and had fun during volleyball practice or at dinner. We shared many laughs and good times, but by no means was this friendship serious. She was a teammate, a girl that I had fun with and shared some fond memories. Soon the dynamics changed. We found each other leaning on one another for support. It started with a text, and then a vent session. To this day, I am unaware of why exactly I looked to this young woman for support. But my gut told me it was right, and I am forever thankful that I followed my intuition.
God was prepared, as He always is. He placed all of the necessary elements in my life with great purpose for this day. He watched as everything unfolded the day I hit rock bottom. She found me as I lay on my abused and cold hardwood floor, half dressed for the outdoors. She scooped me into her arms, though I am bigger than her in size, and held me. She let me sob, tears splashing into what seemed like puddles at this point. I wanted it to end, I wanted it all to end, but yet I did not. He knew I did not want it to end, He knew that this beautiful and intelligent woman is the element I needed to move on and to make life changing decisions.
She held me, brushed my hair, and cleaned my face. She looked into my eyes and cradled me until my breaths became more consistent. She emphasized, understood and made me feel like everything was going to be okay. I did not know how because at this moment the world felt like it was crumbling below my feet. I felt no motivation to push forward and to try to piece together the deconstructed pebbles of what was once my life, and my relationships.
She opened up her heart and her soul to me when I needed it most. She let me talk about the same things all day every day, and never once said I needed to change the topic. She made me feel like I did not have to apologize for feeling the way I felt. She told me the realities of my choices, and yet supported every decision I made even if it was something she would have done differently. She was there for me every moment of every day. She is still there for me, even if she is miles away.
