To My PwP Friends

[jimcaster]

One of the silver linings in the cloud of Parkinsons Disease is the opportunity to make friends with insightful people like Allan Cole, a PwP who writes an excellent blog called PDWise. I have copied this note from Allan's most recent story.

I consider many of you to be my friends even though I have only met one of you in person. This is for all of you who have already made my journey with Parkinsons less scary.

"Henri Nouwen understood friendship more keenly than most. He writes, “When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."

[ElliotGreen]

Beautiful. Thanks for this, Jim.

[MarionP]

In California, it could just mean the person is high.

[GymBag]

As I so quickly get old, with friends leaving and I observe those left behind, It becomes clear that the love of close family and friends is the only thing that really matters. If more people knew that , really understood that, at an earlier age , just think of the changes in their lives they would make. Think of how our lives would have been differant if we had just listened more and wasted less.

[faridaro in reply to GymBag]

Well said Jim - this really rings the bell as last Friday I lost a very good old friend to post covid lung infection.

[Hidden]

Wow Jim, that moved me to tears, thanks...

[ParlePark]

As Elliot said, just beautiful. Thanks again for sharing.

[MarionP]

The cowboy way...

[MBAnderson]

Thanks Jim. Good one.