All Good News

When friends go through a rough time, such as illness, surgery, or grieving, I used to tell them, "Let me know if I can help."

They would rarely take me up on my offer.

But now I do something different and they almost always ask me to help. I write them a card. I list specific ways I can help.

For example, "Go grocery shopping, make phone calls, research on the internet, bring a meal, repair/hem clothes, run errands."

My friends have thanked me and told me it makes them feel so much more comfortable asking me for help.

(I also tell them to feel free to ask me to do other things, and if I can't do it, I'll let them know.)