Strengthening Hands
Three of us were sitting at a dining area table together. It was the first time for me to meet my friend’s daughter. She’s not a young girl. She turned 56 years old not long ago.
Her father is no longer a young man either. He’s 83 and still watching out for his daughter. That’s why he wanted to get some additional, outside help for her. She’s been unemployed for a few months now, with building financial woes, and sometimes it’s hard to have difficult conversations with people who are close to us.
“Please tell me what is going on with you now,” I asked her, while already knowing a little bit about her situation as described by her father.
She took a deep, emotion-filled breath and began to fill-in the blank spots of her current financial situation. One of those spots was filled with what could be characterized as “the elephant in the room.” A mammoth issue that was about to crush her, along with her financial future for many years to come. And, it could be avoided with a little bit of short-term help, so I took a deep breath and launched right into the hard question.
“Do you have someone who’s able to help you through this rough spot with a little loan?”
“I’m 56 years old and should be doing this by myself,” she responded quickly.
It was an admirable, but unrealistic sentiment which she explained by launching into all of the reasons no one else would be willing to help her get past her current position. Luckily, there was another “elephant” sitting in the room, right across the table.
“I can loan you the money,” her father immediately offered.
“I can’t let you do that,” she replied.
“Why not?” I retorted. “You will be able to return the money in about 90 days and he’ll hardly notice it was gone because of the fast turnaround.”
That’s when tears began to stream from her eyes. She answered with a hiccup voice reiterating, “I’m 56 years old and should be doing this by myself.”
“It will remove the immediate urgency facing you,” I said gently, as relief began to wash across her face and over her body.
Sometimes relief is hard to find on your own. Especially when thinking you’ve reached an age of maturity. Yet, every one of us will likely need the strengthening hands of willing loved ones from time to time. It can be a hard ask! It can also be accompanied by easy, obvious help from someone who cares about you deeply. Maybe it’s the intimate nature of possible supporting help that makes asking so hard. But it’s worth it.
Over the next few minutes we created a path forward and put the wheels of progress in motion. Forward progress came quickly, with joyful relief. It was a respite made possible by strengthening hands.
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I’m Lynn Butterfield, Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert and Television Host for American Dream TV in Northwest Arkansas. I’ve helped hundreds of Buyers and Sellers, as a real estate agent and Associate Broker with Coldwell Banker, to discover where and how they want to live and work; to achieve what I call Realesation™. That’s why I bring you American Dream TV, Both Sides of the Fence, About the Dish, Monday’s Warm Cocoa and Home by Design Magazine to stir your heart and mind. Contact me so I can join you along your own unique path of discovery.
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