Small Miracles

 I attended an AA meeting with my Dad this morning and two of the strangest things happened that made me wonder if maybe there is a higher power who is aware of me.

A young man, about the same age as Brayden, came to his first ever meeting today. He reminded me a lot of Brayden, too. Tall, skinny, a bit of soft stubble just coming in for his age. Above the lip and a little on the chin. Just enough to constitute a first shave. He said he was walking by and saw our group congregating in the parking lot - chatting like we do before the meeting starts - and felt like he needed to be there. He had some questions, then asked if he could attend...

As customary at the end of each meeting, we all stand in a circle and hold hands as the Serenity Prayer is recited aloud in unison. I happened to be sitting next to this boy, so I took his hand in mine and it suddently felt as if I were holding Brayden's hand. Literally. It might as well have been Brayden standing there in his place. 

I began to choke up and had to fight back tears. I did not want to let go of this hand but I wasn't about to scare this poor, sweet kid with a greiving mother's burden so I released it and said nothing. 

Then, once back in the parking lot, a different young man came up to me and asked if I was Brayden's mom. Said he had known and loved Brayden. At that point, all the emotion that had been building came flooding out. Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over onto my cheeks. He opened his arms to allow a hug. I then hugged this poor kid for too long as I shook and bawled. 

Thank you to a higher power for allowing these miracles to happen today and thanks to sweet Cain and T.J. Also, thanks to Ty who shared music with me. Little did you know that next week is the third anniversary of Brayden's death. 💗