Written by Holly Bell, Director of First Impressions
Happy New Year!!
Have you ever heard about a challenge that a friend is dealing with and you’re not in a position (financial, in this case) to help? It requires some brainstorming. You may have heard about this, but I have a co-worker (Nat Lutterman) who is working on such a challenge. Nat pays our bills at Great River School - a crucial role for the school. She has two dogs; and one (the littlest, and oldest at 3.5 years old) is having problems holding food down. He throws up frequently throughout the day (and night). I love animals - that’s not breaking news, I know. And I feel like humans must be advocates for animals.
HA! My sister jokes about how I love animals so much that I birthed a veterinarian. Now THAT’S funny! Sure, my son had a good idea about what he wanted to be when he grew up… from about the age of 3, but he certainly didn’t verbalize that at birth. Wouldn’t it have been funny, though, if when he was born that he and I were in cahoots so specifically about his future? She also jokes that I have so much animal magnetism that when I go outside, squirrels stick to me. THAT would be silly - and frustrating!
Back to Jupi (Drops of Jupiter), Nat’s dog. Isn’t he cute? I want to know what’s keeping him from digesting his food properly. I know (from birthing a veterinarian) that tests are NOT cheap - for humans or pets. And, I know how important Jupi is to Nat. I believe that pets are part of the family, like children from another mother. I imagine that some people love their pets more than they love some human family members, but I don’t want to huddle about that. I finally thought of starting a GoFundMe for Jupi’s medical expenses. He’s got a BIG test coming up on January 12th at the U and it’ll be pretty pricey. (It’ll be all over by the time you are reading this huddle; I’m crossing my fingers that some answer will be found.) I’m pleased to see that as the word gets out, that we’re getting closer to the goal I set. Please spread the word with me. I thank you.
So what can you do to help a friend who maybe hasn’t got the resources to help themselves? You can brainstorm with them about solutions to the challenge. You can talk to other people who might know more about strategies than you do or who maybe have more experience with the specific challenge than you do. I think that asking for help from others is always one way to move forward to help your friend. However you decide to help your friend, your support will be noticed and remembered by them. And supporting friends feels pretty good! That saying about “It takes a village...” is true for more than just raising children.
On we go,
Holly