We did it!

Today we hit 1000 Likes on our Facebook Fan Page!

Thank you to everyone for “liking” us and “sharing” us with your Facebook Friends!

But of course, the way things have been going with this journey, this achievement couldn’t just happen.

There has to be something special to go along with it!

WARNING

Grab a “hankie”- you are going to need it with this one!

After work, I ran over to the hair salon to get my hair trimmed. I arrived a few minutes early so I was sitting in my car checking my email really quick. While I was doing that, I received a call. I didn’t recognize the area code, but I went ahead and answer it. The conversation went a little like this:

Me:  “Hello“

Gentleman:  “Hi, is this Michelle Darnell?”

Me: “Yes“

Gentleman: “Hi Michelle. I was just calling to see if you have a room available for this weekend. I would like to bring my wife up to stay.”

Me: “Aw, I am so sorry, but we don’t open until May 1st. But we would love to have you both come up then.”

Gentleman: “Oh I see. Well, we can do that. I had gotten your card from you at the hospital and wanted to see if we could come.”

Me: “Which hospital?”

Gentleman: “Chesapeake Regional.”

Me: “May I ask your name?”

Gentleman: “Guy“

With that I knew who this was. If you have been following our blog for a while you already know. But for those who have just joined us let me fill  you in. Back in early November, I received a call that my mother was in the emergency room. By later that evening, she was up in ICU and having a pacemaker put in. By the next day, she had had a massive stroke. Seems that she had been walking up a flight of stairs and fell and knocked up her knee really bad. That was a Friday night. By Saturday she was found wondering the apartment complex where she and my step father lived. By Sunday, three blood clots had broken loose. One traveled to her heart and two traveled to both sides of her brain. By Monday, we knew that she wasn’t doing well. She was blind, couldn’t speak, and couldn’t move. After consulting with the doctor, we knew there was no hope. Two days later we had her moved to another floor and the pacemaker removed. Seven days later, she passed away. Just two days before Thanksgiving. The following Monday, we had her funeral. One week later, it was her birthday. One month later, it was Christmas.

During the time we were at the hospital, we came into connect with so many wonderful people. Some we only saw once or twice. But there were those that seemed to just be there at every turn. Guy was one of those people. He had come in to help with the IV that gave our mother the pain medicine to make this last journey a little easier. We would later bump into him in the hall and as we got on or off the elevator. He always listened and asked us about mom. He just seemed to know when we needed that added support. He was just there. He was our secret “angel” that God had sent to us to help comfort us.

In our conversation today, he asked how we were doing. I told him that we were doing better. That it had been hard at first, but we have gotten back into a routine and it really helped. I told him about our last few months and all the wonderful things that we had happen since the hospital.

Then he told me that he would keep up with us until we opened. He said, “I just liked you on Facebook so I can keep up with you. In fact, I was the 1000th like.”

I stopped him and said, “You were? How wonderful! We have been working towards that goal for several weeks now. To have you as the 1000th Like is just something special!”

We exchanged a few more words and hung up. But really I just couldn’t focus on what he was saying. All I could think was, “Oh wow! Guy was our 1000th Like!” It was as if my mother got the chance to be that special number! Like she was telling me, “I am still here. I am with you on this journey. I haven’t forgot you.” It was so overwhelming. It still is.

So while we are celebrating making this small goal, little did I know it would come to mean so much to me.

Thank you to all of you for supporting us! For being those secret “angels” with words of support, thoughts and prayers! We really couldn’t have gotten this far so fast with out each of you!

Soon we will be celebrating the opening day of our beloved Belle Grove. And as we all stand there smiling and raising our glasses, in our  midst will be someone else cheering us on!

Thank you!

To see pictures of Belle Grove, both old and new

Please visit our Facebook Fan Page

Please “like” us and “share” us with your friends!

From Brett and Michelle 

and Hurley!