#MyKickstand

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

How many times have you heard that phrase? Or said it? Well-intentioned friends and family members say it often (myself included), assuming of course you’ll never really ask. Because most of us rarely ask for help. (I can’t be alone in that trait, right?)

But if you’re as lucky as me, there are those people in your life, that no matter what you’re going through, are always there to help, even when you least expect it and especially when you are too proud to ask for it.

I realized today these people are my “kickstands.” You know, that thing on a motorcycle or bicycle that provides balance and support without any additional aid or assistance. That’s what our most valuable friends do for us, too. Even when we least expect it.

There’s a certain amount of irony in the recognition of my closest friends as my kickstands. Yes, I’m a lot taller than all of these ladies, and yes, that gets pointed out in every photo we take together… 

But the reality is they are ALWAYS there for me providing balance and support, letting me lean on them when all I really want to do is collapse and fall over.

Thank goodness for my kickstands. If you’re as blessed as I am, you have several. I shared pictures of just two here, but there are many more that always have my back. I’m not only blessed, but I’m also grateful.

Call your kickstand today, and tell him or her thanks for their support. Share this post and tag them in it using #MyKickstand on your social media.

Famous Last Words

Have you ever thought about the last conversation you had with someone you loved? Did you gossip together? Did you argue? Did you rush through your conversation? Did you say “I love you?”

Unless you never had another chance to speak to that person, you may not remember the answers to these questions,. If you were fortunate enough to have a chance to say “goodbye” to a loved one, then you probably do remember your last talk. But if you lost someone suddenly, you may not.

It’s been almost 10 years since the sudden, unexpected death of my older sister. I barely remember our last conversation – it was “generic” at best. I’ve re-lived my conversations with her and others  who have passed suddenly, but it’s always the same… “What was the last thing we said?”

I was reminded of this last week when a friend died suddenly and I perused through her recent Facebook postings. There were no “re-post this if you agree…” or “my boss gets on my nerves” or “I have a headache” posts. Instead, there was a YouTube video of “How Great Thou Art” by Carrie Underwood and loving photos of her first grandchild, only a few months old.

Just as we should all pay more attention to our conversations with those we love, we should also think twice before we post on Facebook or Twitter…what if this is the last thing people hear from me? Is this how I want to be remembered?

What will YOUR “famous last words” be? They may not go down in history as a quote from someone famous, but they just might be something a loved one can hold on to for a lifetime.

With my sister, Cathy, the night I was crowned Miss Greenville)