In an earlier post, I wrote about friendship and how we have many different types of friends and relationships throughout our lives.
When we are younger, we don’t necessarily see this because most of our friends tend to be people we grew up with and went to school with. College friendships & childhood bonds can be strong and lifelong, but they also lead us to our professional relationships and the friends we make in the workforce. Then if we get married and start a family, we become friends with the parents of the other kids that our friends become friends with and play sports with. When we look back, we can see how one relationship leads to another. We can see how life moves us through one phase and gives yield to another phase. And within each phase, are the people and relationships we need to carry us through that phase and into the next. We can see our life as a collection of different memories and experiences shared with different people.
The universe knows what we need to get through the next stage in our lives and it provides for us. I don’t believe these are coincidences. I think things happen the way they are meant to and people cross our paths for a reason. We may not be aware of that reason or even know we need them at the time, but later we can connect the dots and see how things fell into place. Some part of their being or their energy was needed in our lives at that particular time. These people are serving a purpose in our lives. Conversely, are also serving a purpose in the lives of the people we encounter without even realizing it either. Someone somewhere out there needs something only our energy can provide.
Like most people at the stage of life I am in now, I find myself becoming more introspective and self-reflective. I can look at relationships and see patterns. I can see that someone came into my life for a season, and maybe in fact even just for a specific reason and for a very short time. The season passes, their purpose fulfilled, and life keeps flowing. We don’t know as we are going through the trials and tribulations of life who are the people that will be with us through it all, all the way to the end, crossing the finish line with us. Sometimes the people we think will always be there for us turn out to be the ones that fade away. Sometimes. we are surprised by how much a friendship can grow when we never really gave it a second thought in the beginning. The relationships that span the test of time truly are a blessing, but so are the the more brief encounters we have with certain people.
Recently I took my husband to the hospital for a CT scan. The kindest man greeted us inside the hospital and directed us where to go. Once my husband was called back, I walked back up to the lobby to get a coffee. The kind man, sensing my needs & my Fear, even as my facial expressions were hidden under my mask, came up to me as I was waiting in line. He asked why we were there and then sharing a similar situation, asked if he could pray for both me and my husband by name. As we chatted and exchanged names, my husband called me from the area I left him in. I excused myself, went back to see what he needed, and upon my return to the coffee counter, I found the kind man had already paid for my coffee. His presence in that moment was serving me. His thoughtfulness touched me and brought me comfort. It also moved me to tears (which admittedly isn’t that hard to do these days). He was there for a reason. In my mind, he was an Angel named Dwayne purposefully put in my path. He’s also not the first angel I believe I’ve encountered in my lifetime but I will save those stories perhaps for another blog post.
Also a couple of weeks ago, I was paying for my groceries when a handicapped woman pulled up behind me in her motorized grocery cart. Seeing that it would be hard for her to unload her groceries herself, I unloaded them for her. She was so grateful. The simplest gesture by me made her day that much easier. At that moment, I was a blessing to her for doing something so mundane. If not for the gift of my friend who is also handicapped, I may not have even noticed she needed help.
Another day, a family friend asked me to reach out to her dad, as he is going through some difficult times and needed someone outside the family he could vent to. We sat there having coffee together as the time flew by, both of us sharing the stories of our lives. He was choked up when I told him his daughter sent me. It showed him how much she cared and that she realized his need. He was grateful I took time out of my schedule to meet him early in the morning just to check in with him. What he didn’t know is that our time together fed my soul a much as it did his. Two friends, listening to each other and offering support, really is what life is about. I once read that the sum total of our life’s worth isn’t the money in our bank accounts, but the quality of our relationships with others, and I fully believe this is true.
My point in all this is that it doesn’t take much for someone to touch us and for us to touch others. Stop and take note of the simple things and the simple ways we can be there for each other as we walk through our journey of life. Fearlessly and Faithfully, recognize those who are a blessing to us and try to be a blessing to others when you can. It need not be a grand gesture. It can be as simple as a phone call, a handwritten note, or just listening to a friend in need. After all, we really are all just walking each other home.
