Thanks, Colly, for posting this video clip from the wonderful French film, "Amelie."
It reminds us of "The joy that comes from helping others."
We can do that in so many ways, often very simple.
I called a friend after we had lost track of each other for about ten years, but
always had remembered good time with her and her husband and found her phone number,
out of state. Doris's husband Art divorced her after the tragic accidental death of their baby boy.
He blamed her when it was not her fault. When I called her ten years after losing track of her,
it was the evening of Thanksgiving. She was so surprised and glad to hear from me and said
my call might have saved her life. She said she was so depressed, out of loneliness and guilt,
she was thinking of ending it all. My phone call worked a miracle and she said she would
keep going.
Currently, I have helping a cousin get her book published, about her sister's 40-plus years
of schizophrenia. That came on after the shock of her fiance backing out of marrying her
when he met someone else. I've read that emotional shocks can cause diseases including
cancer and also mental illness such as schizophrenia. It isn't easy helping my cousin get
the book published, but I found a way to do it free, through CreateSpace. My cousin wouldn't
admit it, so I haven't suggested it, but she is both a perfectionist and someone with
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and it has not been easy working with her on the book.
But I know she appreciates my help and needs it, so that makes me feel good.
We can all be helpful to each other, and want to, but we can get so busy, so occupied with
our busy lives we barely have time to be helpful to our loved ones and those we live with.
It's good for our own selves if we spread even five minutes of our time to help someone each day.
Another way I am helpful is, if I see a really good movie and know someone who will appreciate
seeing it, I email them about it. I can't afford to buy them the DVD but suggest they can rent it
from Netflix or Redbox. I'm currently telling friends about "Philomena," a British film in which
Judi Dench searches for the illegitimate son she had to give up years ago. It's a real heart-tugger.