Hello & Hugs

"You may not know me, but I know I need to just give you a hug and tell you hello." 

This is what I said to a lady that I had never met, but I knew she needed it.  She allowed me to give her a warm embrace and that is when I saw a little tear escape from her beautiful blue eyes.  You see, her and I are complete strangers, but we have both share something and understand what eachother is going through... I lost my beloved husband unexpectedly on 12/26/10 and she lost her precious 3-yr-old granddaughter in a horrible traffic accident last month.  I found out about Lisa through my mom as they work together.

I sat talking with Lisa about how I am so sorry that she had to go through this.  I listened to what she was feeling and how she was saying she felt like she was in a dream.  I told her I have felt this way too and it lasted about 7 weeks for me and now I am in the depression stages of the process we are going through.  She told me she also feels as if there was something else she should have been able to do.  I told her I go back and forth between the emotions from week to week and sometimes even day to day.  I said I do not know what religion you are, or if you are religious at all, but please know there are a lot of people praying for your comfort...a lot of people that you do not even know.  She told me that she could really feel the prayers.  I told her, I am so sorry several times as we talked.  We shared pictures...she showed me pictures of her grandbaby and I showed her pictures of Jason and our family.    I told her about how I have felt Jason's presence around me and also how at times I smell roses when there are no roses around me.  It then dawned on me....we put roses on Jason's chest before they closed his casket.

Lisa and I talked for a good hour.  She told me things I needed to hear and I listened to what was on her mind.  I also told her things I felt she needed to hear as her loss is more recent than mine.  I told her how I this has changed my life and how I am working to be sealed to Jason in the temple.  She said this lossof hers has made her more active in her church also.

Why am I telling you this?  It does not matter how well  you know someone, if you can see they are hurting and need a hug and hello, please don't let that keep you from doing so.  I know that because of what I shared with Lisa, she left work that night knowing that there are so many people that are praying for her and also has her in their thoughts.  I felt more at peace in talking to her.  I may be grieving myself, but it helps me to be of service and leave my worries behind even for an hour if that is all I can give of myself. 

So let me challenge you...even if you are having a hard time and going through trial after trial, do something for someone else no matter how big or small and you see how it makes you feel.  Give others you don't know a little hello and hug.