Loyalty is the character trait for July.  The Urban Dictionary defines loyalty as making something or someone a priority and doing so in small and discrete but meaningful ways; staying true to someone or something even when other things call attention and a way of showing support for a person or thing.  Loyalty is a word that seems to be used in a variety of areas and situations whether it is in our loyalty to our faith, our relationships to people including marriage and friendship, our country, our employers/employees and even brand or store loyalty.  It is often used in a casual manner but if you have ever really experienced loyalty then you realize that there is nothing casual about it.  True loyalty comes from your heart and is wrapped in love.

Loyalty can be seen in relationships and friendships. We all need genuine, faithful friends in our everyday lives. Evidence of true friendship is loyalty.  Loyal friends stand by your side through your most exciting, fabulous times as well as your toughest and most devastating times.  You can feel their support and love whether they are close by or from afar.  There is great comfort from having loyal friends that you know you can depend on in times of joy or in times of need.

My life has been blessed with loyal friends that have supported me during good and bad times and it is one of the things I am most thankful for in my life.  This year I have experienced both the good and the bad times and my loyal friends were beside me, supporting me through it all.

Christmas is always a busy time with family and friends and this last year my mother was in the hospital in December and passed away on Christmas morning.  I am not sure I can begin to express the gratitude and love I have for the outpouring of love and support I felt from my loyal friends during this time.  There was not anything they could do to “fix” my sorrow but they certainly stepped in to lighten my load by preparing food for my family, calling me daily and offering to do all of the mundane things that need to be taken care of on a daily basis.   They were all busy with their own families and celebrating the holidays, but they dropped everything at a moment’s notice to take care of my family.   The sorrow of losing my mother is still there but the load was lessened by being able to share it with my loyal friends.  There is no way to thank them except to be a loyal and loving friend in their good and bad times.

Times move forward and in a few short months after losing my mother I was able to experience the joy of becoming a grandmother for the first time.  Many of my friends had experienced this joy before and they completely celebrated the new addition to our family and tolerated hundreds if not thousands of pictures, phone calls, texts and emails sharing all the joy that Bennett has brought into our lives.   It was so wonderful to have such loyal friends to celebrate with and to share our joy!  Again, there is no way to thank them except to be a loyal and loving friend in their good and bad times.

The Trusting in Jesus website states, “Being loyal and faithful to others are acts of love and instantly recognized as such.”  There is a quotation that goes: “Your actions speak so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying.”  This is true in all areas of your lives.   It is very difficult to convince someone you are loyal when your actions indicate otherwise.”

Originally published in the Owasso Reporter July 2021