A recent obituary appeared in the newspaper sharing that the person who had passed “had the ministry of showing up”.  He would “show up” at children’s programs, teens’ athletic events, recitals, open houses, and sparsely attended funerals.  It was his way of honoring those persons and showing he cared.

I bet each of us can think of times when we failed to make it to a wedding, or we were a no-show at a holiday party, or perhaps we failed to make it to a community gathering of some kind.  Each time we failed to make it to an event we promised to attend, or perhaps which someone expected us to attend, we disappointed that someone.  We discounted the value of that friend.

No, we can’t be everywhere or involved in every activity.  And we don’t have to be at every scheduled event in which friends are involved.  We don’t have to accept every invitation.  We don’t have to be everyone’s BFF.  Saying “yes” to everything does lead to burnout and fragmentation.

Yet, wouldn’t it be nice to be remembered as someone who habitually “showed up”, offering a smile, a hand, a high-five.  Give some thought to making this a goal for the new year.