In Others’ Words: The Better Friend

A few weeks ago I heard that September is National Friendship month. I liked the sound of that: a whole month celebrating, among other things, friendship.

It’s also National Honey Month. And National Courtesy Month. And National Sewing Month. And National Blueberry Popsicle Month. On a more serious note, September is also National Suicide Prevention Month.

And that leads me right back to spending the month of September focusing on friends because, well, friends can make a difference when you’re hurting. When you’re convinced the pain won’t ever stop … that the ache inside your heart is unbearable. That’s when a friend can make all the difference.

A friend chooses to be someone who comes alongside you and says, “You’re not alone.” Not, “I understand” — because maybe they don’t. But that’s okay because they don’t have to understand. Being present … being available … being there is so, so much more important.

Because only when someone chooses to be with us in the midst of our mess and our tears and our questions-without-answers are we willing to trust them enough to “touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.”

And yes, yes, I know that sometimes even being there for someone else doesn’t stop the worst-of-all tragedies from happening. We are left with our own questions-without-answers. People we love make choices … but we can remember that we made choices too — to show up. To share another’s pain … as much as we were able.

In Your Words: Which friend (or friends) has shown up in your life not offering advice and cures, but rather to share your pain? How do you try to show up in your friends’ lives?

In Others’ Words: The Better Friend #InOthersWords #quotes #NationalFriendshipMonth
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“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find it…
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