‘That’s what friends are for…’

Greetings!

I have had the sort of week where I have desperately needed my friends. In my adult years, I have found that friends are much more “situational,” meaning that situations (such as church, job, kids’ activities, etc.) bring us together but despite how much we love each other, we just don’t have the freedom (time) to get together outside of those situations.

Alas! Because of my responsibilities at home and abroad (read “abroad” as “outside of my house and usually within the confines of my hometown area” rather than something exotic), I fear I am a poor friend.

But this week, I have been particularly blessed by two friends through my other school life, the one in which I am a student. My professor had assigned research from Hell (OK, slight exaggeration), but I found myself searching and searching and just plain not finding what I needed–and feeling frustrated as the deadline loomed (see my previous post titled “Procrastination”).

Then out of the blue, one of my colleagues posted a screencast, in which she walked through how to use the university’s library online. It was simple for her to do, but it completely transformed my inability to research into ability. Winning!

In another assignment (same deadline) we had to create research questions in bizarre three-statement combinations. I thought we had to do one set; other students thought we had to do three sets. Quite frankly, I had one burning question, not three, and my professor’s feedback on that one question took all the wind out of my sails. (Clearly, it wasn’t along the lines of what he expected, but he did say if I could find peer-reviewed articles on it, I could use it.) And it appeared I still had to create two more sets. Joy.

My dear friend Lalla came to the rescue in three ways. She responded to my first set in a positive way–even though the professor hadn’t–encouraging me that I could find the necessary articles. (I had looked and found a few by this point and responded to the professor–in a hesitating manner.) She then located some articles that might work (I am definitely going to reciprocate!) and sent me links to the abstracts.

And then she posted her statement sets, along with some notes, alerted me to them, and essentially demonstrated to me how simply they could be done. In short, all Lalla’s efforts on my behalf gave me hope and helped me to see that, yes, I could do what needed to be done.

The Bible says that friends love at all times and that they are there for adversity. I don’t know if college assignments are adversity, but I was certainly averse to completing them! The Bible mentions friends in many places–and definitely mentions love throughout. I found this Proverb particularly apt today:

Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend’s counsel that comes from the heart.

Proverbs 27: 9

That sweetness can be as simple as dropping by the workplace (i.e. my classroom) and sharing bag lunches together or asking for a coffee date. What is the nicest thing a friend has done for you this week?

Have a great day!
Sara