Today… I awoke with an outline in my head of how the hours ahead needed to be spent.

Quiet time…exercise…finish laundry…swim and chat with friends on this early-season hot weather day…cook…ETC.

The day turned out to be more of the undefined ETC and different things were accomplished in this day.

I felt some low-grade frustration, but I was able to shift gears and re-channel my energies toward things I’d imagined I’d get done in upcoming weeks.

Within the span of a day, I am also texting on and off with friends, or catching up on other friends’ Marco Polo updates.

I listen and learn.

Interruptions of a day’s flow – or anticipated flow – can be minor and mildly irritating when needing to change course unexpectedly, OR

Interruptions can require total abandonment of EVERYTHING we had in mind for the immediate moment, the next hour, or even the whole day.

Full-on 180 redirection of our mental and physical and spiritual/emotional energy required at any given moment in a day is a painful sacrifice.

And it can happen more than once in a day and hijack a whole day…or two or three…or more.

Is there more than just empathy and relating to one another as friends in those moments?

There is!

There is intentional listening.

There is encouragement.

There is affirmation.

There is prayer – for and WITH one another.

There is cheerleading.

There is serving.

There is a thoughtful note or little gift.

There is standing-with.

There is a hug.

There is checking in.

There is more prayer.

There is testimony.

There is either mourning or rejoicing together.

There is!