So Many Dishes

There are times when being there for someone is not only the greatest gift you can give them, but the only thing you can do for them. No words need be said. Just your physical presence is enough.

I was the recipient of such a gift at one of the lowest points of my life, so I know firsthand how much that presence can mean. Our first daughter was born prematurely, and only lived a few hours. We had no family close by to lean on. But our dear friends Bill and Jonna opened their home to Ken, so that he didn’t have to be alone. And Jonna talked her way into the hospital late at night to sit with me. I don’t remember her saying anything—maybe she did, but I was more ill than I realized. I just remember her calming presence, and the sense that I wasn’t alone.

Being present may look different at different times or for other people. It might mean being there to listen, to help in some way that’s needed, even to celebrate with someone. It’s giving your time, but it’s also giving yourself. I can’t think of a gift greater than that.