you know those friends who are loyal? the ones who stick by you no matter what. the friends you know you can call, text, or e-mail whenever you need someone to talk to. people you can trust to stick up for you and always have your back. friends who reach out when they know you're going through a tough time. and it doesn't even matter if the last time you hung out was when george bush was president or not. those are the friends i'm thankful for these days.
hard times, like the death of my dad when i'm only 27, really give people a chance to show their true colors. i've seen a lot of that lately. friends who i have not spent time with in years have shown up, had my back, and made sure i'm ok. they've reached out, asked questions, offered a shoulder. i am so thankful for these friends.
i mean, let's be honest, if someone you consider a friend has something tragic happen in their life and you can't even acknowledge it, what kind of person are you? it would be one thing if you had no clue that a certain event happened...but to know it and ignore it? that's sad. and let's not use the "i didn't want to say anything to make her feel bad" excuse. i'm pretty sure a grieving person would rather you at least say "i'm sorry to hear about your dad" then say "hey, how are you?!" and pretend there's not a huge elephant in the room. LAME.
so here's a shout out to all those guys and gals who have showed up for me and my family over the last month. your loyalty has meant so much during this really crappy time. events like this show us who we can count on, and we know who those people are now. so thanks.
oh so true. loyalty was one of dad's greatest qualities... and unfortunately such a rare one these days!
ReplyDeleteLove it when you blog, Gretty. Love your frank speech and heartfelt words. You write like you talk and it makes me feel like I'm at your kitchen table listening to you rather than a billion miles away reading about your life. i miss your daddy. I cried yesterday listening to Christmas music because their was a bass part and I thought of your dad and how much I LOVED singing next to him at church. Maybe that only happened a handful of times, but I always loved hearing him, loud and proud!!
ReplyDeleteGretchen,
ReplyDeleteI've missed Gary lately as I let it sink in that I'll not see him again (on this earth, that is). I think of your dad and his loyalty and it was absolutely strong. Even if I didn't agree with him, I knew where he stood due to his loyalty. I see that quality in you, too.
Love to you. I'm glad I can picture you in your home. :)