The Value of Friends

It's seems ironic that right after writing the last two posts about social media and the value of investing in friendship and community right where you are, we were on the receiving end of some of that friendship and community I was talking about.

We drove to a town 2 and 1/2 hours away on Saturday to get things for raised beds, a lawnmower, and other things we needed for the care and keeping of our home. We had a wonderful day as a family. We went into Hobby Lobby which we haven't been to in years. My oldest daughter never remembers going into one so she was very enamored by all the crafts. We had a meal out (a rare treat!) and enjoyed looking at all the flowers and garden stuff at Home Depot. The children each picked out a succulent they wanted to care for to put in their rooms. It was a lovely day and our hearts were full as we made the drive home.

We got a later start home than we were expecting to so we were coming home as it got dark. Out of nowhere a deer ran up out of the ditch at a stretched out run and we smacked it going 65 miles an hour. There were just split seconds to react before impact. We were all ok, just a bit shook up. The truck was not drivable as it pushed the radiator back against the engine. We sat on the side of the road trying to figure out logistics of how to get all of us home (we were still 50 miles away) and get our truck towed and get everything out of the bed of the truck as well.

I text a friend to let her know that we would not be at church the next morning and arrange for someone else to bring dessert for the meal as I was supposed to bring it. She asked if we were all right and if we needed anything. My husband was still on the phone with dispatch and we were trying to figure out logistics when she text that her husband was on the way to get us. She sent him with hot coffee in to-go cups for us and he drove 50 miles at night to pick us up. He and my husband got the truck on their flatbed trailer and he towed our truck home. We didn't get back until around midnight. As he was leaving to go home, he told my husband that they would drop a vehicle off the next morning for us to drive. When my husband protested that they didn't need to do that, he would hear none of it and drove off. Bright and early Sunday morning, they pulled in our drivway and dropped a truck off and left the keys inside for us to use until we got our truck fixed. We were blown away and so humbled by their generosity.

Invest where it matters. Pour into people in your life. Facebook and Instagram didn't rescue us on the side of the road at night. But the friends that I took supper to years ago when she had her tonsils removed, did. The friend that I went and washed her windows with her when she mentioned in passing that she needed to clean them before out of town guests came. The friend I took fresh flowers to, just because. Those little seemingly insignificant investments over time add up and when we needed someone, they were there.

When the opportunity presents itself to serve someone, take it. Look for ways to reach out and help someone. It’s not just the big things, it’s all the little things too. A meal, a phone call, a text, a handwritten note, praying with someone going through a difficult situation, taking baked goods to someone. Invest in whatever capacity you are capable of. Make giving to others a regular habit. You never know when you will be on the receiving end of it.