[Previous entry: "Heading South"] [Next entry: "Letters to Nick"]
04/20/2006: "Aren't Friends Great?!"
I used to envy people that had a strong circle of friends. I know some people that still get together with High School or College buddies. Vacations with 8 couples that have all known each other for years. I only have one true friend from those days. I don’t see any college buddies or high school people.
I attended Chaka Impraim’s funeral several months ago. Besides being moved by his incredible life, I was also taken aback by the sheer number of people that attended. At that time, I knew I was dealing with advanced cancer and wondered if I even know this many people. I figured I could count my true friend without using my toes.
Fighting this battle and dealing with mortality has taught me many lessons. Arguably one of the most important is the beauty of friendship and how so many friends we actually do have. I am constantly overwhelmed by the generosity and effort that so many people have made towards me. Most know that I have had to take a leave from work to deal with this ordeal. I would think that work colleagues would be resentful, not my coworkers. In order for me to be off, I have to utilize our agency’s Catastrophic Leave Bank. It was running a little low so our Human Resources Director put out a call. Though it is not intended for one person particularly, I know many folks thought of me and donated their sick leave to the bank. I was told the other day that we now have more built up than ever before!
This is only one example; I am continuously blown away by the love and support I get from my many friends. I believe Jesus gathered disciples around him to teach us of the importance of friends. Thank you to all my friends for the continuous support, dinners brought to the house, babysitting, letters, emails and cards sent, words of encouragement and prayers, and most of all, your love.
