Not long ago, a friend of mine discovered that he needed to undergo a serious and lengthy surgical procedure, one that would put his life at risk. He called Mark and me for support, and of course, we were there for him every step of the way.
But what broke my heart was when he said, "I don't think anyone else will care."
I explained to him that just wasn't the case, and then things started to happen. His sister flew in from the Midwest to be with him before, during, and after the surgery. Friends came out of the woodwork to wish him well through emails, texts, and social media. His only child sat vigil through the surgery and the aftermath. Friends came to visit when he was recovered enough to visit with them.
This leads me to my point. Why do we often wait until a crisis or a potentially fatal illness to let those we love know how much we do care?
Your answer will most assuredly be "Life gets in the way." These days, everyone is so busy. But, what's more important than spending time with those you love or care for and letting them know how you feel about them? After all, we don't have an indefinite period of time with each other.
Now, I'll admit, I'm as guilty, if not more guilty, of letting life, work, or my own interests get in the way. This incident with my friend gave me pause. It had been almost a year since we had spent time together. Oh, we communicated over the phone and through social media, but that's not the same as spending time together. Is it? What if we had lost him during the surgery?
So, all I'm doing is trying to encourage all of us to take more time to smell the roses and give those roses to those we love.
Til Next Time,
Carol
But what broke my heart was when he said, "I don't think anyone else will care."
I explained to him that just wasn't the case, and then things started to happen. His sister flew in from the Midwest to be with him before, during, and after the surgery. Friends came out of the woodwork to wish him well through emails, texts, and social media. His only child sat vigil through the surgery and the aftermath. Friends came to visit when he was recovered enough to visit with them.
This leads me to my point. Why do we often wait until a crisis or a potentially fatal illness to let those we love know how much we do care?
Your answer will most assuredly be "Life gets in the way." These days, everyone is so busy. But, what's more important than spending time with those you love or care for and letting them know how you feel about them? After all, we don't have an indefinite period of time with each other.
Now, I'll admit, I'm as guilty, if not more guilty, of letting life, work, or my own interests get in the way. This incident with my friend gave me pause. It had been almost a year since we had spent time together. Oh, we communicated over the phone and through social media, but that's not the same as spending time together. Is it? What if we had lost him during the surgery?
So, all I'm doing is trying to encourage all of us to take more time to smell the roses and give those roses to those we love.
Til Next Time,
Carol
RSS Feed
