A Friend

This morning as I was getting ready I read a quote that my roommate has up on a picture...it said "A friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart." I have heard this quote hundreds of times, but for some reason this morning it stayed with me. Recently life has been...well...busy...but more than that life has been full of a lot of lessons and learning. My Oma has been sick for quite awhile, but within the past month 3 of my friends' grandmothers have passed away...it kinda makes you think. I went to all the funerals because that is what a friend does...a friend is "there" when they need to be...but someone said something interesting to me during all of this. They said..."friends don't always do that"....I just kinda took it and went, but then later thought about it. A friend....a real friend....is suppose to be "there" no matter what...you do whatever your friend needs at the time, no questions asked...at least that's what I think....that's what my head and my heart tell me. I know what it means for someone to just simply be "there." It means the world....you don't have to say anything, you don't have to give anything...you just have to be "there." I think this is easy...to be "there"...but I get the impression that not everyone thinks this is easy. I have always loved the verse "A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17 I remember reading that when I was younger and even now and the thought that crosses my mind as I see it is simply this.....whenever my friends need me I am "there"....I love them...love is expressed in many different ways...one of which is being "there." This may sound strange, but I am glad I was able to go to those 3 funerals....because I know that is what my friends needed....and that is what matters to me. And this right here is why that quote that I started with has stayed with me: when I was at the last funeral I went to I was standing on the end of the aisle. When the preacher said "please stand up in honor of the family" I stood...and I looked back at my friend...with her family...in their sadness, my heart broke. I wanted so badly to fix things, but I also knew that this is what the Father had planned. So, as I stood there and they walked down the aisle, suddenly I felt a hand grab mine...it was my friend...she simply grabbed it for a moment and I squeezed hers to let her know I loved her and she continued walking. As she walked away tears came to my eyes because it was at that moment that I realized how precious her friendship was to me...I am truly blessed. She reached for my hand...seeking comfort for herself....and she touched my heart. I love when God shows us things and blesses us with people who love us and people we can trust. He has truly done this for me and I am beyond grateful for that. So, I say all this to encourage anyone who reads this...be a good friend....do whatever your friends need you to do....but don't do it out of obligation...do it because you love them and because you know if you were in their shoes they would do the same thing for you!