A Friend In Need

There is an old saying that you don’t know who your friends are until you really need them. There is a lot of truth to that, as I am finding out. My family recently had to place our Mom in a care home. Mom has always been the person who takes care of everyone. She spent a lot of time visiting people who were alone, had just lost someone or were feeling lonely for whatever reason. She loved to visit and have coffee. She went out of her way to talk to people. She rarely had a bad word to say about anyone and always looked for the good in people. I thought I knew who Mom could count on for support when she moved – the people who would visit her and call her to make her transition a little easier. I have been amazed at who has called and visited and who has avoided her. I am so grateful to the people who have taken the time to call on her and to make her feel she is still valued and loved and that they are still her friends. I also appreciate my own friends who have taken the time to show they care and have helped me get through this. There are angels among us, and they help us when we need them the most. Those are the people who are truly your friends. I hope that when my friends need a hand or an encouraging word I will remember this and be there for them. Sometimes needing a friend, other times being a friend . . . it’s a good thing!