September 5, 2011

SHOW CONCERN BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!

What do you do if a friend or family member is going through a tough time? Do you pick up the telephone and call them to see if there is anything you can do to help, or do you sit back and pretend like there is nothing wrong and wait to get into touch until you think that person is through their difficult period? Well, if you wait too long to show your loved one that you care by waiting to contact him or her when it is convenient for you, once you finally get back in touch might be too late. The friend or family member may not want your concern at a later date, because you never showed concern when they needed you the most.

My husband and I had a deep conversation today about true friends and family members. He stated that true friends are people who call you on the phone and ask you if you want to spend time together on the weekends, such as having a barbecue together or getting together to watch the game. However, my husband and I both agreed that we do not have any friends who fit this description. We have no one that we can "hang out" with and have a "good time" with other than ourselves. Before my husband became ill, our families would get together for nieces and nephews birthday parties, but once my husband became ill, and we were unable to afford to hold our son a birthday party because of our financial situation, we were no longer invited to any family functions. My husband also stated that true friends are those you can count on. They are the people who will be there for you no matter what. Again, no one fits this description in our lives other than the three of us in my immediate family. My husband stated that the only people he could depend on the entire time he was sick were myself and our son.

If you read my blog from yesterday, you know that we had two visitors. My husband said it was nice to visit and chat with his niece and nephew since he hasn't seen them for a very long time; however, he felt that if they were truly concerned about his well-being that they could have picked up a telephone in the past two years to see how he was doing with his surgery, or chemo and radiation treatments. He didn't feel that they truly cared by waiting until over a year after his treatments were finished to get into touch with him. 

Be careful how long you wait to show your loved ones that you truly do care! You might wait too long, and then it might be too late. Your loved one might not want your concern when you get around to giving it.