The Kindness of Friends

While this sudden end of my marriage has been beyond devastating, one blessing has been my friends.

I live in Alaska, far from my family on the east coast. X walked out and left everything with me – all the responsibilities of the house and the animals. And as the saying goes, “When it rains, it pours.”

A few weeks ago, I discovered a slow leak from the hot water heater. An estimate of $1900 for its replacement left me panicked. Enter Clint and Barb, who gave up a whole weekend to replace the hot water heater, not once, but twice! (The first one was defective, of course).

Did I mention I live in Alaska? That means we get lots of snow. Our – scratch that (habit I haven’t broken yet) – MY house is built into the ground. If the snow isn’t cleared around the house, when the snow melts, water comes in. It’s a big job and I had been putting off tackling it. It just felt so daunting.

Well today my friend Karine brought her family, with their four wheeler and plow, and cleared all the snow away. I didn’t ask. They just did it. And now there’s no way water will come in!

These are two major gestures. But there have been others. Impromptu coffee and dessert when I’m down, a regular date at aquasize, homemade soup for lunch, a basket full of gifts and cards to open when I need a boost, a day spent painting the bathroom, an invitation to play poker. Not to mention all the texts and phone calls, especially when I’m struggling. I feel beyond loved and am so grateful to have such incredible support through such a difficult time.

Not only am I grateful, I’m inspired. While I never wish hardship on my friends, I hope that one day I am able to repay the favor. Tenfold. The support of my friends has kept me going these last three months. I know I’ll need to call on friends more as I continue to move forward. I hope I am able to convey to each one how much they mean to me.