Do You Even Realize the Role You Play Each Day?

A very special surprise newsletter about the power of friendship, our daily actions, and a tribute to my parents and their dear friend Louie.

Happy Heavenly Anniversary to my parents.

Hello!

Coming to you today with a surprise bonus newsletter. It’s even a surprise to me. As I sat down to tackle my rest-of-the-weekend to-do list, I realized today would be my parents’ 73rd wedding anniversary.

While thinking about this, I reflected on their story… how they met and built a life together.

I wanted to acknowledge their anniversary, but then thought… this is my parents' anniversary, why is this important to my newsletter readers?

Then I remembered the story of my parents’ first date.

In my parents’ story, a person by the name of Louis Frey helped their story begin. (You may know him as Louie if you follow my dad’s Letters to Louie.)

The story goes like this… on the day of my parent’s first date, my dad took my mom to a place on the outskirts of town. At the end of the night, my dad had no ride and no taxi $. (And even if he did, there were no taxis in the area at that time.) Luckily, his friend Louie came to the rescue and drove my parents home from their date.

Decades later, on my parents’ wedding anniversary, my dad learned that Louie had passed. It was a full circle moment of sorts, and as my dad processed his friend’s passing, he told the story of how Louie had played a part in my mom and dad getting together.

It made me realize something.

We all play a role in each other’s stories.

Those little things we do to help a friend (like Louie did) matter - maybe more than we’ll ever know.

And it’s not just our close friends I’m talking about - all of our interactions count.

The small gestures of kindness, the introductions we make, the advice we give, the break we give someone when they need it the most… all contribute to someone’s timeline.

Kind of cool, no?

So, today I want to remember not only my parents, but also their friend Louis Frey… and thank him for getting the ball rolling on what would be almost 69 years together on earth. And to bring more to this story, today was also the day Louie was born. (Happy Heavenly Birthday, Louie.)

The last anniversary my parents celebrated together on earth was in 2019; they both passed in 2020 - my dad in May and my mom in December. I trust they’re celebrating in heaven today along with Louie and his wife Patty. 💗

My parents, on their anniversary in 2018.

They had a wonderful partnership and were there for each other through it all. The easy days, the hard days, the big problems, and of course in sickness and in health. One anniversary was spent in the hospital because my dad was having a procedure. My mom got dressed up to visit and they celebrated there. They even had the hospital priest come to their room to bless their marriage.

I’m grateful for their example of a beautiful marriage based on love, hard work, and dedication - to each other and their individual missions in the world. Plus, they maintained outside friendships that enriched their life together.

As I leave you today, a few things to ponder:

Relationships matter.

Friendships matter.

Our actions matter.

So let’s love the ones we’re with, enjoy life, and try to help each other as much as we can.

Cheers,

Abbey

Laughter… is a great prescription for a great marriage, relationship, or friendship.