I have had a lot of friends and family members go through some crummy stuff lately. There have been break-ups, both thoughtfully chosen (but still hard) and unexpected and traumatic. There have been health crises -- friends who are my age have had major issues, one having a stroke and another who is scheduled for a kidney transplant next week after a very long year of serious health issues. There have been deaths -- one friend's sister died of a severe asthma attack, while another lost her father in a motorcycle accident. There have been layoffs. There have been stalkers. All these things have happened to my friends and family in the last couple of months.
I guess when you're younger, you aren't as aware of what is going on with people all around you, and you certainly don't appreciate the significance of these things. As we get older, these things happen more and more -- people get sick more often, people die, hearts get broken as relationships fall apart.
I guess one thing I've learned is that, while you can't take away the problem or "fix" things, that doesn't mean you are helpless or that you have to stand by idly. No one could bring Brian back after he died, but that doesn't mean no one could help me. In fact, a lot of people did. They helped by bringing over food and household items, by doing chores around the house, by calling and texting and hugging me, by praying for me, by listening to me, by sharing stories and memories, by offering me encouraging words, by giving me hope.
Empathy, love, support, listening, and just being there matter. We all have hardships we will endure in life -- no one is immune. No one can protect another human being from that harsh reality, but neither are we helpless.
Life's twists and turns are like the weather -- omnipresent over us, sometimes unpredictable and sometimes long-coming on the horizon, and always out of our control. When the skies of life open up and rain on someone, whether it be a shower or a howling thunderstorm, no one can stop the rain. We can, however, offer up an umbrella.
When you see a friend who's in the middle of a storm, do you take shelter or do you run out to her with an umbrella? Better yet, are you able to help her dance and do cartwheels in the rain?
I guess when you're younger, you aren't as aware of what is going on with people all around you, and you certainly don't appreciate the significance of these things. As we get older, these things happen more and more -- people get sick more often, people die, hearts get broken as relationships fall apart.
I guess one thing I've learned is that, while you can't take away the problem or "fix" things, that doesn't mean you are helpless or that you have to stand by idly. No one could bring Brian back after he died, but that doesn't mean no one could help me. In fact, a lot of people did. They helped by bringing over food and household items, by doing chores around the house, by calling and texting and hugging me, by praying for me, by listening to me, by sharing stories and memories, by offering me encouraging words, by giving me hope.
Empathy, love, support, listening, and just being there matter. We all have hardships we will endure in life -- no one is immune. No one can protect another human being from that harsh reality, but neither are we helpless.
Life's twists and turns are like the weather -- omnipresent over us, sometimes unpredictable and sometimes long-coming on the horizon, and always out of our control. When the skies of life open up and rain on someone, whether it be a shower or a howling thunderstorm, no one can stop the rain. We can, however, offer up an umbrella.
When you see a friend who's in the middle of a storm, do you take shelter or do you run out to her with an umbrella? Better yet, are you able to help her dance and do cartwheels in the rain?
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