When we decided to move to Israel, we made sure to get an American line that would allow us to freely call the US so that we could keep in touch with our friends and they could keep in touch with us.  However, the option we chose ended up not working as well as we expected, the company changed its services that were offered, and finally, one of the littles stepped on the gadget that we needed to connect with our online account and broke it.  Thus the end of free overseas communication for us.

This was really sad since it meant that as hard as it had been to reach friends before this due to the time difference between countries, after this we were hardly talking to them at all.  Skype seemed like a great option, but I found that people weren’t able to find time to sit at a computer in the middle of the day to talk, and calling me directly wasn’t an option for them either.  So months went by, months in a new country with lots of transitions and challenges, and I can count on one hand how  many times I was able to speak with a friend in the US.

There were times that this especially felt like a loss to me, particularly since I knew I was leaving so much behind but counted on my friendships to remain in place thanks to the wonders of technology.  When this didn’t work out as planned, I had to actively be grateful instead for what I did have.

Today I was feeling especially grateful for two people who were there for me this week: one an online friend and blog reader – you know who you are 🙂 – who I was able to share honestly with via email and get valuable support while going through a tough situation.  And then another friend who knew I really wanted to connect with her, and rather than wait for me to contact her, made the effort to call me first – again offering her support and helpful advice.

There’s nothing like the support of someone who cares about you, who can listen without judgment and share their insight and feedback, who can be trusted to honor a confidence, friends who are happy to share in your good times and be compassionate in the hard times.   Friends like these provide vitamins for the soul, and I feel especially blessed to have people in my life who not only care, but extended themselves for me to show me they cared.

Avivah