Entry #4

Today's blog is going to be a little different, more personal. My mom just received a phone call, the kind you never want to get, she has a dear friend who has just been diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer. Mom chatted with her for a while, told her that she would be there for her, hung up the phone and cried. Through her tears my mom told me that her friend is the best example of how to be a friend she has ever known and that she has always admired her for that ability. Even after her friend shared her news, she took the time to ask mom about the success of her last book, that's just the kind of unselfish person she is. Mom said that she is the kind of person who really cares- about her friends, their families, their lives, without judgement, and offers laughter and sympathy in great quantities and advice sparingly. Really, she is the person we all want as our friend. 

This amazing woman has made me wonder about the art of friendship. I just think that we don't take the time to be real friends anymore. We read each other's statuses on Facebook, we sometimes message each other, we might call or text once a week or once a month. If we have time, we go to lunch or dinner, when we can fit it into our busy schedules. When did friendship stop being important? When did to-do lists become more important than people? When did a keyboard replace a hug?

Think about this- what would you do if your dear friend called to tell you she has Stage 4 Cancer? What would have been more important than having lunch with them now? What would have been more urgent than laughing together? What moments would you trade- doing things you thought were so vitally important at the time- for precious moments to chat and laugh and share? Will your life reflect what you valued most or will it reflect what you allowed yourself to be distracted by?

Call your friends, hug your family members, stop and sell the roses. And, if you will, offer up a prayer for my mom's friend.