The important things, most of us "know", are not wealth, power, and prestige. Yet while we "know" this to be true, we often forget in the crush of daily living. The following began as a personal note from a broadcast journalist, Sally Wagner, to a friend. She graciously gave me permission to use it here.
-Julie Loe
As we head into the final weeks before Christmas, I am reminded of how much we depend on one another to get through the little things in life…the small things that in the overall scheme of our existence seem insignificant. But it’s the support and encouragement we give one another as we travel through these narrow doorways that seem to matter most.
A friend emailed me today about the death of a longtime family companion who had suffered much in his final days. The family cat. Minus (may he rest in peace).
In our days of corporate hirings and firings, of bank accounts that seem to dwindle overnight, of marriages that in today’s strength may fizzle to a memory tomorrow…the death of a cat may seem small. But it occurred to me how much faith my friend must place in how we face the world together; how much trust he must place in knowing that I, and others, can somehow share his grief and offer words of encouragement. For we too have faced the pain.
As we go through our days, it is not help with those big picture items that matter the most. It is the quiet, gentle hand stretched out to reassure and comfort others. It is the sharing of joy, the sharing of hope, the sharing of life.
It’s not the huge moving van that shows up at our door with 16 hired assistants that seem to get our lives in order. It’s that one misplaced item picked up and moved lovingly back into place by a friend.
How much faith we place in those we care about. How much trust we have for those who help us through our lives by simply being there.
May God continue to bless us in the coming years with our friendships. And may our friends know how much their existence means to us.
Written by Sally Wagner
Ohio News Network
