Be a Friend.
That's what she wrote. That's not what she meant to type, but that's what it said when she hit the send button. What she had meant to say was "Feel free to bring a friend," but perhaps unconsciously she was hoping her friends would "be a friend."
Later, she saw her mistake, but it was too take to take it back, and after all, the email had been sent to, well, friends. So, surely they wouldn't take offense.
The person who sent this email was my mother-in-law. She was sending an email explaining that they would be getting an evite for a Norwex party that she was hosting for me while I was in town. Whether it was her slip of "Be a Friend" or something else, her party had the best turn out I've had.
We all had a good laugh when she explained her mistake to the small crowd of her friends who had shown their support for her and for me by being at the party and "being a friend."
My mother-in-law has a great number of friends because she is a good friend, she is supportive and she is involved; and when she asked her friends to come hear her daughter-in-law deliver her spiel on this new venture, they came.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our lives and ourselves that we forget to just "be a friend." And yet, at the end of the day when we reflect on our lives it will be the relationships with friends and family that will mean the most to us.
I know I can be guilty of getting too wrapped up in work, home, worry and kids to remember to just be a friend when one is in need. Yet, my intention is to be a {good} friend.
My Mom's Group that started out as my ECFE {Early Childhood Family Education} group when our first born were just a month or two old are really good about bringing out the meal brigade when there is a new baby, surgery, even at the death of a giant beloved St. Bernard.
That's what we do. That's our way of being a friend. We're all busy, but we know how much a tasty, already prepared meal can mean to a busy family who is now going through an adjustment of some sort. We've been doing this since Baby #2 began to make an appearance in each of our families and we have continued this practice through the years for a variety of reasons.
Just a few months ago, when they began to appear at my doorstep with meals and sympathy after our dear St. Bernard, Benjamin, passed away, it brought tears to my eyes and warmed my heart. They were there to "be a friend."
It was a rough time for us in late November when Ben died through early January. I wrote about these dark black days in late December. One of my dear friends read it here. Without a word about why she was doing this, she dropped by with a Big Loaf of Chocolate Babka.
She stood there at my door with big smile offering the chocolate bread, and I knew she had read the post and was worried about me. I hugged her and thanked her {from the bottom of my heart}. I also knew that she had returned from a trip the night before and it was just a few days before Christmas; she was busy, but she was there to "be a friend." And that meant so much to me.
That's all it takes. Just showing up, being there, taking a hand, offering a smile and a hug, simply standing alongside your friends. My mother-in-law's line might have been a mistake, but I love the message. So, today I'm on a Soapbox challenging you all to "Be a Friend."
Your friendly, supportive gesture might be tiny to you, but may mean the world to your friend. It may be a nugget that stays forever with that friend as a reminder that she or he is not alone. Never under estimate the power of "being a friend." Over and out...
Anna
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