Guardians on the Journey

I heard a report this week about the Sandy Hook families and the fact that each family was matched with a state trooper.  I thought it was kind of odd and wondered why.  What would they need a state trooper for?  It didn't make sense until I heard the story. 

The officers were called guardians and were simply at the disposal of each family - do whatever you can for them if at all possible.  This one particular trooper, Eddie Vayan, was more like a guardian angel.  He was there for the family as they waited to find out if their little girl, Katherine, was among the dead.  He stood at the casket for several hours because her brother, Freddie, asked that he stay and protect her body.  He was with Freddie's mom as she put him back on the school bus weeks later, knowing that the last time she had done that only one of her children came home.  Eddie Vayan's role was just to be there and do whatever they asked of him, and sometimes he anticipated their needs when they didn't even know what to request of him.  In the course of their time together, he became connected to them in a deeply meaningful and profound way, and they will obviously be connected forever. 

Watching that report, I realized that that's the greatest gift of the journey that I am on.  I have dozens of "guardians" who are simply here to walk with me and get me through this.  Some I have known since I was in grade school and some I have met more recently.  People who live near and far away, who see their role as supporting me in any way that I need, even when I don't know what that is.  To have so many loving relationships with so many incredible people overwhelms me these days.  The relationships are deeper, more meaningful, more appreciated, more wondrous.  It's an amazing gift, and one that I get to keep forever. 

To all my guardians, thank you.  I am grateful for you each and every day.  You make the journey light.  I promise to pay it forward.