Over the past couple of months I’ve had the privilege of supporting my friend who has lost both parents. Sometimes in difficult times and times of loss, we experience more, in a short period of time, than a bunch of years of “good times.”

In this case, I got to hear stories about my friend, and especially learn a lot about his parents, that helped me understand more about my friend, and appreciate his family. I know he also enjoyed hanging out with me, although he wished it were under other circumstances. But life has its ups and downs, and I know when I go through the same experiences, he’ll be there for me.

All in all, I appreciate that you get to see the real person sometimes, when times are more difficult, and you get to be together, which counters the separation that I know I feel in these times when we are so busy making ends meet, that we barely have time to email our loved ones.

Maybe this economic meltdown is not all bad…