A Friend in Need

The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. ― Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life

If in a lifetime, a person finds a friend who is caring, loyal and truly present in the most difficult of times, that person is blessed. I am grateful beyond words that God has blessed me, surrounded me, with honest, listening, compassionate people who I am honored to call friends.

Falling into the strength of my friends is not difficult for me. That’s just how I happen to be wired. I will be the first to yell out, “I need help!” I don’t want to be a burden, but I’m just naïve enough to believe that when friends say, “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” they mean it.

I try to look at it from my point of view. If a friend calls or texts to ask for help, for prayer, for a listening ear, for anything at all….I feel honored that she (or he) would consider me a “go-to” type of friend. Whenever possible, I want to show up for my friend in whatever way is most helpful for her. The blessing goes both ways. My friend is blessed, and I am blessed even more because, let’s be honest, it feels good to help meet a need for someone we care about.

Before December 15, I was certainly grateful for my friends. They stuck around when it seemed I’d fallen off the grid with working full time, being a busy mom, and, for a couple of years, juggling all that with going back to school. Thankfully, my friends are gracious and understanding. And when we do get to reconnect, it feels like we haven’t skipped a beat. We pick right up where we left off, and we know that even if life gets crazy and we can’t see one another as often as we’d like, we are in one another’s hearts, prayers, and thoughts.

After December 15, friendship took on a whole new meaning. The word that first comes to mind is “lifeboat.” I was thrown into an unexpected, treacherous storm. My friends reached into the turbulence, pulled me onto a lifeboat and have held onto me for dear life.

Dear God, I can’t thank you enough for friends. They are “Jesus with skin on” to me. Please give me the selflessness and generosity of spirit to show up for them like they have shown up for me….over and over again. Amen.

Today’s Chandler-ness:
Last night you went potty in the toilet, and when you went to flush it, you said, “Now the peepee has to go home.” You also ran around the outside of the house stark naked yelling, “Cool runnings!”