friendship

This weekend I have had several long conversations with friends, all of whom are going through really hard things in their lives: a woman whose husband has four kinds of cancer, another going through a trial suing for patent infringement when her husband (who died last year) was the inventor, and a mom dealing with a grown child with a new baby, kidney surgery, and a flooded house all at once. Our lives can be so challenging sometimes, and I have felt totally inadequate as these friends have called just to talk, "vent" two of them said. What do you say in these situations? All it seems like I can do is listen, hope they know that I care for them, and pray for their situations. At the same time, I am so grateful for these friendships, for women whose lives have been entwined with mine in different ways for so many years. One of them was a roommate in college. We've been at each others' weddings, watched or taught each others' children, shared vacations, businesses, and secrets. What a blessing! So, even though I don't know how helpful I was to these dear friends who are going through such difficult situations, I am still glad I was someone they felt they could talk to. I am glad for friendships that endure both the good times and the not-so-good ones.