I recently learned that a woman, who I will call “Connie,” who worked in one of my past health provider’s offices, passed away early in October. It turns out that only her husband and daughter knew that she had a terminal illness. The person who told me had been her close friend for over 30 years. She said that her friend was one who took care of so many and was always there for others, but chose to keep her illness from many who loved her.
There are many people, possibly people that I consider to be close to me, who are quietly going through personal storms. On the other end of the spectrum, I have friends who are open books. I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I remember when G was involved in a work situation, I knew that eventually friends would reach out when the news broke, but until then, I honestly enjoyed the silence. I appreciated hearing from them and realized that only meant that much more support and prayers were going up for us.
While I may not publicly share a tough situation, I am thankful that I have a strong support network should I need them. A while ago I posted a meme that basically said to stop putting all of your business on social media and find some people to talk to, and I was reminded that not everyone has that. It was a jolt for me to realize how blessed I am to have friends. I may not talk to everyone in my “squad” everyday, or even weekly, but I know that got me if I need them. We all get caught in our own worlds and forget to check on others from time to time. I was recently reminded by a friend that I failed to check on her when she sent word by someone that she was battling an illness. She was right, and I apologized for not responding when I should. It happens to us all.
I am sure that “Connie” had her reasons for not sharing her illness. Maybe she didn’t want people to feel pity. I can relate to that. Maybe she thought that by sharing that people would do what people do: talk. I can relate to that, too. I hope she knew that her real friends wanted to be there for her even though she thought she was sparing them her pain. Ah, the burdens we carry unnecessarily. I’m pretty sure her squad would have been honored to help lighten her load.
#ksmithsays
ksmithsays 