Led to Help

I was driving downtown today and had a feeling to pull into the library parking lot. I figured I would walk through the nearby park.

I didn't know it at the time but a friend of mine was in the parking lot. He is not a good friend, but someone I see around the library from time to time. The last time I saw him, he was worried about a friend of his and said he had a really bad feeling.

He had walked into the parking lot this afternoon because he was hoping that somehow he would run into me. When I saw him, he said, "Hi, Holly. My friend is dead."

I spent some time walking around with him at the park. I told him, "Think about the spark that your friend had, and all the ways he made you smile, and do everything you can to extend that feeling to others. Look for every opportunity you have to give. It doesn't matter if you are volunteering or helping a neighbor or bettering yourself, which also betters the world. Just look at this as a tremendous opportunity for you to grow and I promise you that in another year, you will be so grateful for where you will be."

I also told him to remember that he was not alone. I said, "Think about how you needed someone to talk to and hoped you would run into me, and then I drove right into the parking lot at that moment." I don't think I am there to be his counselor, but considering that this was a day after he found out about his friend's death, I believe I was led there to help him.