Giving the Gift of Encouragement

Fortunate folks, like me, have been gifted with good friends. Some of them from working days, some from childhood and others from the various encounters we've enjoyed throughout our lives. There have been times when I'm out in another part of Richmond with my daughter and have run into multiple folks I know, which produces the comment from her, "You know people everywhere!" Not true, but an admirable goal; right?

When we passed through immigration & customs in France--back in 2019--gathering the nerve to board the train taking us under the English Channel, it was early morning and the passport officer looked lonely.  So, we struck up a conversation and learned about her background and hopes for her own travel to the U.S. one day.  If we had had more time we probably could have treated her to cafe au lait and pain au chocolat during her morning break and learned more details of her life.

There may come a time in your life with friends that someone develops a chronic illness.  It might be debilitating depression or ALS or cancer.  That has happened to me, with my best friend in town getting aggressive cancer about a year ago.  Or, it might not be your friend, but their family member, who becomes ill.

When the course of an illness is unclear and you don't know what the next year, month or day will bring, it's helpful to latch onto a future event that you hope to enjoy.  Some people have a child's wedding to aim for, the birth of a grandchild or a one-year mark.  Holding that longed-for event before their eyes helps the person run the race with focus, providing a target for whatever energy they can muster.

For my good friend, the goal is "getting to the beach this summer." The rental home is reserved, the family has marked their calendars and memories of past summers at the same beach are fueling the excitement. My desire is to encourage my friend to look forward to the event and remind her that, amidst the chemo and low white blood count and CT scans and chest drains, there is a wonderful time coming, just around the corner.

Visual reminders are very helpful for concentrating on what's important, so I made this beachy photo display for her to view in her home every day.  Here are the steps.

1.  Stalked her kids on social media and snagged family photos to print.

2.  Attached various size photos to a beach-themed decoration I found at Hobby Lobby.

3.  Hot-glued the photos to the decoration, then did the same with tiny shells given to me by friends.

4.  Cut a strip of non-slip carpet pad for her to use when leaning the decoration against a wall, to keep it from sliding off.  Or, there are hooks on back of the decoration for hanging it on a wall.

This cost me about $15, which I consider a pretty good price for a customized photo gallery.

Of course she loved it!  While I was buying the decoration I also found a second one, in the style of a family tree, to use for her or another friend someday.  Look around, who can you encourage with a handwritten note or inexpensive craft idea?

Note feeling particularly craft-enabled?  Here's a tip and a fail to help you feel more confident:

TIP:  Photos sometimes do weird things when heat is applied.  After I hot-glued the photos to the starfish decoration I placed a small square of wax paper on top of each photo, then weighed them down with a glass or spice jar.  Just for 20 minutes.

FAIL:  Prior to remembering I had tiny shells to use I tried dyeing larger, all-white shells in a bath of alcohol and food dye.  It worked with macaroni 30 years ago, right?  Well, although a small percentage of the shells turned out pretty, most of them were as gaudy as can be.  Ugh!

Richmond has so many wonderful craft supply supply stores.  Since AC Moore went out of business (sniff, sniff) I now roam the aisles of Michael's and Hobby Lobby.  Coupons!!!