I love to write on a word prompt. It's fun to see where your mind will go when you see a word and then sit down to write.Today, I'm writing on the word help and the very first thing to pop up in my brain was the Beatles' song, "Help." I looked up the lyrics and I especially like the chorus:
Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being 'round
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Won't you please, please help me
One of my callings in life is to be encourager. I want to lift people up. I mainly focus on writing positive pieces for that very reason.
However, today, I'm drawn to more practical ideas to help. Hey, we all need a little help from our friends. We all have down days. We all have times of discouragement and need to hear some cheerful positive reinforcement.
A real friend can help by giving you:
- A pat on the back: Sometimes we just need to hear someone say, "You're doing a good job. Don't give up. It will turn out all right in the end."
- A listening ear: Everyone needs to vent. You can give invaluable service by just listening. Don't try to solve their problem for them, just listen to their words. You can throw in "I know how you feel" every once in awhile.
- A warm body in the room: As the above chorus says, "I do appreciate you being 'round." Loneliness bites. Someone who takes time out of their busy life - and everyone is busy! - gives you a rare and special gift.
- A hand up: In everyone's life, there comes a time when you just need physical or material help - someone to watch your kids, someone to help you move your furniture, or someone to loan you money or fill a material need. (We once had someone loan us a car battery until payday when we could buy our own. Truth!)
Who could you help today?
This post was written in response to Writer's Workshop prompt # 7. A blog post inspired by the word: help. Consider joining in and linking up at Kat's blog, Mama's Losin' It. It is a lot of fun!
You gave great suggestions on how to help people :) Sometimes just a gentle touch and a kind word goes a long way to help those who are struggling with things.
ReplyDeletebetty
Hi Jerralea! I like the body in the room example. There is nothing like a personal touch or visit to lift my spirits.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend over for tea today, and it was so nice to see a different person around here! I can't get out too much (cold and snow and this bum leg), so having a little time together was wonderful.
Oh, and she brought us dinner! I didn't have any idea. She never asked, she just brought it. Now that's some help too!
Blessings,
Ceil
Never underestimate the power of gentle words and kind gestures. Really. What a world of difference it makes. :)
ReplyDeleteI work to help my teachers - trying to figure out how to make their jobs easier. Some of them will let me, others won't. But I offer and try to be supportive. And I smile. Smiling makes things better ;)
ReplyDeleteJen - Pierced Wonderings
Great post Jerralea! Sometimes we just need to be reminded how powerful human touch is and not to be selfish with it.Thanks for all the good reminders, I think I need to slow down a but and just listen more.
ReplyDeleteOkay Jerralea, I'm going to have that song in my head the entire day. It's funny. I've been a doodler most of my life. Especially, in class taking notes (in the days when we did take notes with pen and paper). For as long as I can remember -- I would often scribble "help". I still do it on the scraps of paper on my desk. Part joke, part prayer I guess. :)
ReplyDeleteSuch helpful suggestions! We all get so caught up in our own dramas that we don't always know what to do for others. We make it more complicated than it needs to be.
ReplyDeleteLove the suggestions! We can always use a hand-up once in awhile in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI love word prompts too because they really can go anywhere! I love a helpful friend even more. :)
ReplyDelete