I will never forget as a child experiencing an earthquake tremor. It is the strangest sensation to have the very floor you are standing upon shift from side to side. When I was older I taught in an elementary school in an area of the country close to a fault line. Our school held earthquake drills. Students were instructed, when shaking began, to drop, cover their necks and heads, and get under their desks. If not close to their desks they were instructed to lean against an interior wall or crouch under a supportive doorjamb.
I recalled these memories this week as my family received news of an extremely serious diagnosis given to my teenage nephew. This week the shaking of an earthquake commenced. Unexpected trials are often like that…it’s as if the very floor you are walking on each and everyday shifts.
Without hesitation family and friends have rallied around my nephew, brother, sister- in- law and niece. This support has become that interior wall to lean on, that supportive doorjamb to crouch under, that wooden desk to hide under. Helping them pack for transport to an out of town hospital, making meals, assisting with critical quick to make decisions, offering encouraging words, listening, crying together, and praying while this earthquake shaking continued… These family and friends became their doorjamb chums…their foundational friends…their sturdy shelter…their support system.
When a new client comes for counseling services, we conduct an intake. This is not a counseling session, but an opportunity for the client to share his/her story, history, and the reasons he/she is seeking assistance. One of the questions we ask is, do you have any family members, friends, co-workers etc. who are supportive of you in your present circumstances? We are asking… who are those door jamb chums, those foundational friends, that sturdy shelter, that support system around you? Do you have one? Research has proven that when faced with unexpected hardships, we need the connection, support and presence of others around us. This week I have seen that in action and I am most grateful. What is the best way to develop a positive support system in your life? Reach out and be a doorjamb chum, a foundational friend, a sturdy shelter, a support system to those already in your life!
Robert says:
This is really good advice as we head into the holiday season. Reach out to those that are alone and lonely. They need supportive friends too.
Cecilia says:
I loved this post. I feel anyone could relate to this. In life we all sometimes need a supportive doorknob.