Mattering ....

I have suffered a loss ... Last summer was a huge eye opener for me and a terrible time of mourning something special.  I was supposed to be celebrating something that was so important in my life ... Two years of working on finally finishing my Bachelors in Psychology.  It was a hard road and right up until the end I could almost not even believe it was right there in sight.  The first year I worked full time third shift and attended full time classes ( and going through a LOT with my ASD son and freshly diagnosed girl teenager with depression/anxiety disorder and partial hospitalization with her for that).  The second year I was not working but had suffered an injury and needed back surgery and STILL attended full time.  It was a LOT of pressure on me and my family but I am so amazed and proud that I did it.  

But with all that accomplishment came the biggest disappointment of my life. 
I try to be a good friend.  
I ALWAYS try to be there unless life has REALLY REALLY REALLY grabbed hold of me by the gonads and I just cannot follow through for a friend.  Bleeding to death or vommitting like Linda Blaire in the exorcist will often stop me from following through as well.  
But the article at the end of this blog entry (you will have to copy and paste it in your browser to go to it) could have legit been written by me and I wish I had read it a year ago.  Not that I would not still be in mourning or still second guessing decisions I have made.  But I made it.  The decision. I have hard lines.  One hard line is seeing my kid(s) hurting. So it is what it is.
All I ever wanted from my friends is to show the same love that I show them.  I have some pretty amazing friends that have shown me more love than I have ever known in the past year.  They are amazing.  Some I didn't even realize that were always there all along. 

The pain is still there and it may take years.  Mourning is a process. 

But let me say this.  If a friend needs/wants you there ...

Just show up.

Here is the article ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-atterberry/showing-up-the-single-most-important-thing-a-friend-can-do_b_5697930.html

~t