Your friend is that man who knows all about you, and still likes you.
~Elbert Hubbard

One who looks for a friend without faults will have none.
~Hasidic Saying

A friend loves at all times.
~Proverbs 17, 17.

Portrait Of A Friend

I can’t give solutions to all of life’s problems, doubts,
or fears. But I can listen to you, and together we will
search for answers.

I can’t change your past with all it’s heartache and pain,
nor the future with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.

I can’t keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.

Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine;
Yet I can share in your laughter.

Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;
I can only support you, encourage you,
and help you when you ask.

I can’t prevent you from falling away from friendship,
from your values, from me.
I can only pray for you, talk to you and wait for you.

I can’t give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
But I can give you the room to change, room to grow,
room to be yourself.

I can’t keep your heart from breaking and hurting,
But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces
and put them back in place.

I can’t tell you who you are.
I can only love you and be your friend.

~Unknown

If you’re alone, I’ll be your shadow.
If you want to cry, I’ll be your shoulder.
If you want a hug, I’ll be your pillow.
If you need to be happy, I’ll be your smile.
But anytime you need a friend, I’ll just be me.

~Unknown

You know your having a bad day when your daughter calls to find out what she can do for her sick guinea pig and you cry. I had to take a few steps back and look at what the real underlying issues are. I was upset because she got left behind by her father (due to this guinea pig). I was upset because there really wasn’t much I could do for her from here other than research the problem. And the problem was serious.

But there was more going on than just Megan’s issues. Things have been in utter turmoil at the day job since the webmaster officially gave his notice. I had figured it out a few months earlier. Our department head claims he knows nothing and is in the dark just as much as we are. But then he drops comments that give indications that there really is a clear plan waiting to be implemented after the webmaster leaves. It’s the thought of that plan that has us all upset. It’s sounding like there will be a restructuring of our department and it will put us under the supervision of a department that many of us don’t want to work for. To say the least we have butted heads with this department on numerous occasions and in my opinion it’s because there is not a clear understanding of what we do and what tools we need to do our job.

I keep saying I need to get my resume updated – looks like I’m not the only one here who is doing that.

I feel bad for Megan – she was really looking forward to going up to DC and spending some time at her father. But she has a guinea pig and was told no pets in the DC apartment. I’m really baffled – it’s okay to leave a dog in a car but it’s not okay to bring a guinea pig that gets it’s cage cleaned every day. Sounds like a really lame excuse to me…

Sort of been in a funk since getting back from Nashville – been watching more TV than I have in a long time. I even watched American Idol for the very first time. My favorite shows to watch though are all the CSI’s and Criminal Minds – FBI profilers dealing with twisted minds. Maybe that’s where I should have taken my Psychology and Sociology degrees. All the work I did for my Masters went down the toilet when I didn’t complete my contract in the allotted time. Kind of sucks – all I needed to do was take my Comps and one elective class. That was tough to do living in Maryland. I’d like to go back to school but there’s not enough hours in the day or money in the bank.

Things at the day job have been in turmoil to put it mildly – the webmaster gave his notice. His last day is June 14th but he still has 6 days of vacation he plans to take before then. Couple that with rumors of other’s in the department also looking, no clear answer on who will replace the webmaster and the fears who might be the possible candidate.

I feel bad for Megan, her plans to go up to DC with her father got trounced upon. Her father told her she couldn’t take her guinea pig (he didn’t want pets in his apartment) and the cousin she was going to hang out with had a change in plans.

Top all of this off with still trying to digest the some of the bold-faced lies I heard while in Nashville – maybe it is time to move to Montana.

A three hour drive with nothing but the delusional voices in my head to keep me company gave me a long time to think.

One comment kept playing over and over in my head, “…no way to contact her…” Before I left, Kelley and I touched on some of the obvious ways I could be contacted – by email, by mail (my address is on my other website) and of course Megan knows my address, my phone numbers, my email address, ect.

BUT the ride home brought out two more ways:

Through my sister and through my dad.

That one got the voices going, hmmmmmmmmmmmm?