It takes a village...

I always heard this saying and understood it's meaning, but never has it applied more to my life than now.  To be honest, at the beginning of this journey, it was difficult for me to accept help from others.  Looking back, I think that I wanted to feel like I had everything under control even if I knew deep down that everything was completely out of my control.  After slowly coming to the painful realization that Bryan and I could not get through this on our own, we were able to let people in.  In November, we visited our best friends and their adorable daughter in Northern Virginia, and they pitched the idea of throwing a benefit.  After a few tears (of course, on my part), Bryan and I put aside our pride and accepted their gracious offer.  Little did we know what an amazing event this small idea would turn into.  Five months later, our friends, family, friends of our family and friends, and mere strangers joined us for a night to celebrate the most important person in our life, Reid.  This night was like nothing I've ever experienced, every last detail was thought through (from the flowers, the wristbands, the expertly printed program outlining the auction items, the colors of the balloons, the awesome logo, the placement of the auction items and tables, and the incredible slideshow that highlighted Reid's progress).  Needless to say, the event went off without a hitch.  I cannot even begin to imagine the time and energy spent planning such a fantastic benefit, and I cry thinking that this was all done for the love of our son (tears flowing right now).  To say "thank you" doesn't begin to capture how appreciative Bryan and I and our families are for all of the support and love we felt on April 21st.  Throughout this experience, we've learned the true meaning of "it takes a village," and Reid is thriving because of his village.  Our sincerest gratitude for everything that went into planning such an amazing event and for everyone who came out or contributed to celebrating Reid's life...we will forever be thankful.