Hard to believe but I’ve made it to that age where I have plenty of friends and family to worry about. My teens and 20s were carefree with hardly anyone in my circle ever having more than a bad flu. With my early and mid-30s, people I knew might sprout a gray hair or two, gain some poundage around the middle; perhaps needed a stronger eyeglass prescription or wore a brace on their wrist to help with carpal tunnel. And my parents thought it wise to cut out rides on roller coasters, but I’d rarely hear of any serious ailments, at least not with anyone closely connected to me. Then BAM – these last five years have seen countless ailments, hospitalizations, heavy duty treatments. And deaths. What we all have in common is that we ain’t getting any younger. And much of the time on my knees each night is spent speaking prayers of recovery and healing for my parents, my friends, other family members.
This week, I’m sending a Get Well card to a friend I’ve gotten to know over the years from dance and volleyball. I thought I stayed busy, shuttling my kid around as if I were an Uber driver. But this friend does what I do times three (yes, three daughters who both dance and play), in addition to being a team mom, star PTA member, and classroom crafter. For the present time, she’s out, having to depend on her husband, her sister, her friends to help keep up the juggling act. Knowing her, she’ll want to hop right back into it all the moment she feels a little better. But I encouraged her to rest, to relax, and have faith that her support system is in place, and all the help she’s been to others all these years will return to her in abundance.