What are friends for?

You obviously need the right friends but, just in case you were wondering, when you're in difficult situations friends keep you sane.  They listen to your drivel, they sympathise with you (but not too much) and they take your mind off your problems.  They lighten your load, let you know you have support, tell you you're in their thoughts, make sure they're around when you need them and generally make life that little bit better.  I've thought this for a while and have mentioned it on more than one occasion but the last few days have brought the subject to the forefront of my mind again.  On Thursday evening I had to race to A & E (an hour away) because mum had fallen yet again and this time damaged her leg badly.  We got out of the hospital at just gone midnight and I took her straight back to the home (where, to my great relief, I could just hand her over and know she would be looked after) then I went over to her house to sleep away what remained of the night.  Yesterday, feeling as though I'd been hit over the head with a cricket back due to lack of sleep, I read a text message from a friend telling me Ash had called in to see them and stayed for a chat and a laugh across several subjects, then I went out to meet two of my oldest friends for a picnic lunch and coffee at our favourite book shop.  Those two things meant I arrived home feeling somewhat revived.  This morning I saw an email from yet another friend saying she was pleased to read in the blog that life was looking up a little and that she'd been worried about me.  All of this I can add to the list of friends who check on me regularly to see if I'm ok, who organise days out with me, who listen when I need to vent and who let me know they're keeping up with my life and it really does make all the difference.  So if you're in my situation make sure you keep your friends around you and if you are a friend of someone in my situation look at my list and see which of those you think you could do.  Any one of them will help more than you could possibly know.

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