Solina

I am starting to think my posts might sound repetitive. People in my life are really just awesome, generous people. Solina is NO exception. I first came to know Solina when I would babysit for her two daughters, Jeannette and Carly. Mainly I would be there to help make sure the girls didnt fight too much. Jeannette was just two years younger than me.

In 2003, after the death of Jeannette, I came to know Solina and her family in a much deeper way. I remember those painful, painful months that followed. I don't know how she survived it. I feel fortunate that I was able to be with her in some small way during that time and really do nothing more than sit with the pain or listen. Now that I work with people in grief, I think about her a lot and how she has traveled along her own journey since that time. She, Mike and Carly have been so generous to me, and countless others and have honored Jeannette's memory by supporting people on an individual level and also through giving in other ways. 

Through the years, Solina has listened to my woes about horrible bosses, helped to give me the courage to go to graduate school, and supported me through the ups and downs of pregnancy and new motherhood. She reminds me in some ways of my Grandma Mimi, in that when you are around Solina, she makes you feel important and special. It is nice to have someone like that in your life.

If I had to draw a picture to symbolize Solina, I think it would be a golden heart. I feel so fortunate to know her and and to call her "friend."