Standing By

Welcome back to my blog. It's so good to see you again!

I'd like to apologize in advance if some of my blog posts seem to dwell on the thoughts I have in the recent passing of my mama. She's been on my mind a lot, as have the people who loved her and spent time with her at the hospital last month.

One of those people, of course, is my dad.

Mom and dad were married almost 62 years at the time of her passing. They would have celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary in the autumn of this year. Dad hung on to the hope that she would make it through the illness that landed her in the hospital, but it just wasn't the way things turned out.

Yet, even in the face of losing his sweet companion, he never left mama's side.

On many ocassions during the week mama spent in the Intensive Care Unit, one of us kids would go into her room and find dad hunched over the bed, her limp hand in his strong but gentle grasp. He would stand that way for hours on end.

We'd try to get him to take a break and go to the cafeteria for some nourishment, but he declined. Instead, he'd ask one of us to bring him a muffin or a drink to keep him going. We nearly had to beg him to go home at night so he could sleep and regain his strength for another day of standing at mama's bedside, holding her hand.

He knew she wasn't going to get better.

He knew she wasn't going to go home with him.

He knew he couldn't save her life.

Yet, there he was. Day after day after day, standing by her side.

There's a lesson in here for me, and perhaps for you, too. And that brings up today's challenge:

Stand by.

Do you have a friend, family member or someone else that just needs someone to stand by and hold their hand, either literally or figuratively?

Do you know someone who needs a friend to just stand by and listen to their problems, even if that means only listening and no solving?

Do you have a co-worker who needs someone to stand by them as they face difficult times? Maybe a layoff, reduction in pay, or survivor's guilt after watching others get laid off?

Can you be that person?

Can you be the person standing by to listen, strengthen, uplift and support?

Can you be the one they so desperately need in their corner, even when things seem helpless, hopeless and dark?

Can you?

I think you can.

Look around you - in all your relationships. Be aware of those you work with, live with, socialize with or go to school with. Be aware of the needs of individuals. Be sensitive to those who need you to stand by them.

And when you find that person, you know what to do.

Just stand by.

As always, thank you for reading today's post. I appreciate you. I hope and pray for you to find someone to stand by. Thank you also for sharing my words with others.

Truly, Service is the Action Form of Love.