It may be my lack of practice in asking for help, but I felt utterly sad when I realized that, though I believe I have numerous friends, I have a hard time finding one close enough to inconvenience and call to be our witness at the Courthouse for when Conrad adopts the girls.
It’s summer, mid week & mid day. If anything dramatic happens to anyone, it wouldn’t matter the time of day or night. They would make time to take care of it.
Some of our closest friends, those we would call upon, have moved away. And that in itself is sad. I let them go with a light heart understanding that we all have our journey and there is no need to be sad for being left behind (though this is one of my childhood aches, when my brother left for college, I felt left behind to mediate between my parents – I felt responsible for them).
I reached out to my oldest friend knowing she might be busy, and she is. Working a job where she can’t just leave. Then our other friends are out of the country. Our neighbor and old friend is busy with an exam.
I dared and asked my friend who has been through an adoption and knows the drill. She accepted and gladly and it soothed my heart. This newer friend has showed up when my heart needed to know that I am important enough for a friend to show up. She might not even know how much she has blessed me these past few years.
May we have the courage to ask. May we have the presence of mind to show up. Because it matters. It always did.