Being there

There is very little in this world which I feel better about than being there for a friend when I'm needed.

I appreciate the trust that is implicit in them telling me about their problems and I value the relationships that it builds.

It's not that I enjoy "drama." I like the stuff that's *real.* And sometimes that's dramatic and sometimes it's intense, but I like feeling as though simply being a listening ear can help. I like feeling as if I've made the tiniest difference even if I said almost nothing.

I really like being able to feel like I've repaid even the tiniest bit of what was offered up to me by family and friends when going through cancer and Nathan's death.

But the thing that I love the most? It's that stirring of my heart. It's the aching and the longing. It's the empathy of love that I feel so deeply within me that it's almost as though this person were my child. It's the feeling that lets me know I've somehow managed to keep my heart soft despite everything. It's the echo of what I think God feels for this person, and it's so very reassuring.

Because if I can love them this deeply...

how much more does He?