A Friend Indeed

I've been thinking this week that when something tragic or difficult happens in your life, you find out what friends are really for. There are many people in my life that I hear from occasionally, and acquaintances who are very kind and who I like a lot. I have friends I hang out with and friends I laugh with. But this week I have been touched by some friends in my life who have gone the extra mile to be there for me. A few examples of my "friends in need":

Two friends who happened to be with me at a scrapbook workshop when I got the news of my sister's house fire. They cleaned everything up for me and hauled it back to my house so I could take off immediately to be with my family.

Friends who have offered their homes as a place for my family to stay - even though they don't even know anyone in my family, only me.

Friends from years ago and more recent friends who have expressed their support on my Facebook page.

A very busy friend who gave up a couple of hours of valuable time to counsel my sister and her 3 year-old son. This same friend has allowed me to "cry on her shoulder" over the phone.

A friend and her sons who gave me little boy swimming suits and toy cars, trucks and stuffed animals for my nephews.

A friend who drove an hour to get to my house after work on the off chance that I might be home. I pulled into my garage that night, crying my eyes out as I walked into the house. A moment later, my doorbell rang and there she was to hold me while I cried. 

A sister who packed her 4 kids into the car and drove 5 hours to spend the weekend with my parents and share the emotional load I was carrying.

A friend who went with me to a matinee chick flick and bought me popcorn and Dr. Pepper. Sometimes you just have to live in a pretend movie world for a while where you can laugh at character's mishaps and where you can watch everything work out right in the end. 

A friend who let me hang out at his house all day, eat his food, and invade his space. It was so nice not to have to spend the day in my empty house, grieving alone. Sometimes you just need to have someone to hold you for awhile.

A friend who took care of my church responsibilities so I could escape to be with my family and basically "check out" from my life for the day.

Countless friends who have listened to me, cried with me, and prayed for me. Thank you. I hope I can return the favors for you sometime when you need it.