New friends - maybe?

I wrote my last post in the middle of the night, sleepless. I probably need to go back and proof read. I should do that anyway, but I'm sure my writing at that hour is even worse than usual. That morning when it was time to get Penelope ready for school, she really didn't want to go. She felt "sick" again and every morning task she did, she took breaks laying across her bed. I knew she was depressed. But what do you do. A mom can only give out so many hugs and "I love you"s before it just gets annoying and only points out the obvious to her more and more - that isn't what she needs right now. What she needed was to feel accepted, valued, respected, one of them - by her peers. With Mary dumping her, she was at a very low low - and even though she fought it tooth and nail, was back in Yuckworld. This was something that she was going to have to deal with on her own. I have racked my brain to figure out anything that I could do, or someone I could recruit that could help her. Nothing and no one came to mind.
Last ditch effort, I cut her PB& J into two hearts, wrote her a little note for her lunch as a surprise and took her to school. I'd like to think it was the boost she needed to appear approachable. She did what has become her recent routine at lunchtime - go sit by herself at an empty table, to eat her lunch. Three girls that she has never been friends with but has had class with over the years, came and sat next to her. They included her in their conversations and she became part of "them." All four went out to recess and she ran around playing games with them and had a blast. They played Tetherball and Susan told Penelope she was really good at it. When I picked her up school that day, she was on cloud 9 filled with acceptance and happiness.
My immediate thought was "THANK GOD!" but I know that we are not necessarily out of the woods. Her lifeline to Happyland is too entangled with the acceptance and new friendships of these girls. Understandably, everyone wants to be accepted. But with the trauma of abuse - a childhood rottened by events of rejection from the people that should never have rejected her, acceptance is such an extremely important thing. Because of it's value and direct line to happiness, it's also vulnerable to sabatoge. But I think Penelope is really understanding the ultimate satisfaction of what it is like to be in Happyland. It's not perfect, and shouldn't be. Too happy has it's problems too. But she is more comfortable there than she used to be. She "hates" being in Yuckworld. Her emotions are still so extreme and raw. I thought my intense emotions as a kid was hard to handle, I am thoroughly impressed with what how she has not just survived her intense emotions (even though there were times - too many times - she just wanted life to end) but has started to rein them in. She is amazing.
Yesterday was a good day for her as well - since she spent lunch and recess with the same group of girls. On her own, she initiated her homework and was very focused and strategic only getting overwelmed twice. She even worked ahead on a Science worksheet that was "optional" because they were going to do it in class. By evening, her emotional high, that is still riddled with anxiety and hyper-vigilence, wore her down and she got a bit cranky but it's something I know is just one of the several signs/symptoms she has that reminds me she is still in Yuckworld but overall is still fighting it tooth and nail.