photo courtesy of: http://shaswa.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/help-yourself-by-helping-others/

“What can I do to help?”

It was a simple question, but one for which I didn’t have an answer.  The fact that my friend asked in the first place; this was enough.  Her gesture, her words, they showed me how much she cares.  That was what I really needed. But I got more; days later she brought me food, wine and conversation.

Last week was rough.  The skies opened up yet again to release 8 inches of snow on top of the 6+ we already have on the ground.  The day of the storm the temperatures dropped, the winds blew fiercely and travel was nearly impossible.   My mother found herself in the hospital and my father found himself sliding off an icy road and into a ditch.  All this in the same night.

The days that followed were spent at the hospital, where my entire…