Being There For a Friend

This morning I received a call from Don, someone I consider to be my best friend (other than my wife). Don called to tell me that, following a bout with Alzheimer's disease, his mother died at around 5:00 AM this morning. My heart went out to Don as he described his Mom's last moments on her journey of life. As a friend, I wanted to be there for him. The challenge is that Don is living in Barrington, Illinois and I'm in Austin, Texas. As I talked and a tear rolled down my face, I so wanted to say, "I'll be over in a few minutes." Yet I knew I couldn't be physically. So Don kept talking and I kept listening. I have always admired Don for his intelligence, sense of humor, and unstoppable desire to give of himself to others. It's good that he is that way. It makes him one of the best clergymen I have ever known. Although I am Jewish and Don is Lutheran, we have always felt a common bond in belief ... a belief that there is one God for all people. I felt that God was there for him, but I wanted to be there for him too.

After the long conversation was over and I hung up the phone, I realized that as much as I wanted to be there for him physically, to give him a hug and help him with anything I could provide at this difficult time in his life, I was there for him in many other ways. The idea of "being there" for a friend does not necessarily mean you have to be there physically. If he or she is indeed a true friend you're dealing with, then they will feel that you are there when you reach out in any way you can. When I think of the wonderful combination of the law of attraction and that there is a God for all people, I realize that we are put together with our friends to bridge a physical and geographical gap and distance.

Being there for a friend means establishing a presence that can take a number of forms. We should be thankful for the fact that we have friends to comfort and be with, rather than worry about what form "being there" takes at that particular moment.