Yesterday, I experienced the true meaning of friendship. I was with a group of colleagues remembering a friend/co-worker who had passed away seven years ago. We were gathering together to say the Kaddish, the Jewish mourner’s prayer. We all told stories about this girl who was taken from us too soon and discussed how in essence, she embodied everything that a friend should be.
The incredible experience I had yesterday though was with the people who had come to share this moment with us. There were probably 10 of us who had gathered, but only about half of us actually had known the girl we were remembering. The rest had come just to support us and share the moment with us. It never occurred to me that anyone who didn’t know our friend would come.
It was a short gathering. We were only there for about 10/15 minutes, and as we were leaving, one colleague said, “I didn’t know her, but she was my friend, too. Because any friend of yours, is a friend of mine.” Oh my gosh! It was the nicest most genuine thing to say. Now that is what friendship is all about. I was so touched by that one statement and realized at that moment how much I truly do care for my co-workers. They are more than co-workers…they are indeed friends, and the kindness they showed yesterday was really telling. So thank you, friends.
My song of the day today is Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me,” because that’s what friends do. They let you lean on them when you need to. Just so you know, colleagues, my shoulder is there for you, too. Lean away!