The best things...

I got back from the scan surprisingly upbeat, as I said and picked up a card from the postman, he'd tried to deliver 2 'packages' the day before and they were waiting for me at the post office.
Having loaded children and granddad/ father in law into the car we headed off to get football boots and shin pads for the middle child, who is going to start playing football with his big brother's squad on Saturday.
On the way we stopped at the post office to collect what I imagined would be two jiffy bags containing 4 hand knitted baby cardigans and 6 sleepsuits from my mum who'd said she'd picked some up in Asda.
So imagine my surprise when I found 2 big boxes waiting for me...

I "met" Rebecca on line 7 years ago. We were both planning our weddings, mine at the end of 2004, hers at the start of '05.
I remember liking her right from the start.
Weddings over she returned from her honeymoon expecting her daughter and I found out Sam was on the way almost straight afterward, so Sam and F are very close in age.
Then, soon after I found out I was pregnant with Josiah, she too found she was expecting again. And her son was born a few weeks after Josiah.
By now we'd met for real and knew were were proper friends, so when she found a lump a few months later and then had to go through mastectomies and chemotherapy and all nature of other things I wept with her and for her and her family.

I have seldom been happier in my life than when she was told she was in remission. Or more scared than when, after we had a long weekend in Paris last april she confided that she was scared it might be back. When she was told her fears were unfounded was one of the few times I've been even happier!

I have a lot of friends, some I see often, some I haven't seen for a long time, most are people I can kick my shoes off with and drink tea or wine with and chat to for hours, no matter how long it's been.
Rebecca is one of those, she's also one of a very few I can let see me at my most vulnerable. One of the few I'd chose to have with me in labour etc.

And the parcels were from her. From the moment she knew we were having twins and how hard shopping was over here she started to collect things, beautiful things, things I'd have chosen myself. And the parcels were full of these things.

How do you say thank you for a present like that?
How do you say thank you for a friend like that?

Rebecca, I love you darling.

xxx