My Friends Are Hurting

My friend is hurting – struggling with faith and family and trusting her choices.

My friend is hurting – physically unable to do what she once could and growing impatient with slow healing and numerous setbacks.

My friend is hurting – uneasy with changes around her and uncertain where she fits into the new reality

My friend is hurting – being verbally attacked with lies by someone who is supposed to be loving family.

My friend is hurting – adjusting to a life changed by medical conditions thrust upon her which she never expected.

My friends are hurting – fighting against demons of addiction that try to draw them back each day, always chasing them.

My friend is hurting – forced to face changes to her daily activities due to health issues, complicated by carelessness by the physicians.

My friend is hurting – her home and cherished items collected over decades of a beautiful life have been lost to a fire, leaving her displaced and clinging to memories in her mind.

My friend is hurting – saying goodbye to the man she’s made a life and family with as he fulfills his duty for his country.

My friend lost a job.

My friend lost a pet.

My friend is sick.

My friend is divorcing.

My friend is broke.

My friend is in pain.

My friend is lonely; angry; confused; lost.

 

These are my friends. My heart aches for each one of them. They need me and I want to heal them. But, I cannot. I can’t fix any of these things. But I can tell them I love them and that I am here to listen, to fight beside them. I can tell them how much I trust them and cherish them. I can tell them that they have changed my life – in small ways and in large ways. I can tell them that they matter – just them, just the way they are.

Tonight, there is a family saying goodbye to my friend as she takes her final breaths. I did not tell her she matters nearly enough. We were not tremendously close, but she touched my life in a special way. The sadness rolls down my face in salty drops of love. I will miss her. Deeply.

I have been humbly blessed over the past week to be inundated with love and support from friends, family and even acquaintances while I am hurting. The way people have shared that I matter to them has made all the difference to me. The outpouring of positivity has kept me strong and changed my focus when I felt lost.

We need to keep talking to each other. We need to tell each other “you matter.” We need to step out of ourselves long enough to embrace the world around us that is desperately crying for love and acceptance and validation of its worth. Even the strongest among us can be filled by a simple word of appreciation. Take the time to share. You have a friend who is hurting.