A helping hand.

How do you know when you need help? Sure when you are dangling from a cliff by the tips of your fingers you need help but how about when you started down the trail? Or when you got the edge of the cliff to look over? Or when you leaned out to take the perfect selfie? At any point someone could have stepped in and given you some help before it was too late.

If you read the blog, or know me at all you have hear me mention our friend Heather.  We know Heather from college, she was in many of my Spanish classes with me, and she and Kat had many we should be studying giggle fests.  After College Heather moved to Austin, but in 2001 she moved back to OKC and became a more or less constant part of our lives.  In fact, when I was traveling for work most of 2010 and 2011 Heather stayed with us and was a huge help to Kathleen.

But this is not about that.  This is about party prep 2009.  It was bitterly cold, the Friday before the party and I had reached the “This house will never be ready” stage, Kat was at “No one is coming and there won’t be enough food!”  About noon there was a knock on the door, and there was Heather.  “I thought you could use some help.”

The thing is, very few people can help.  It isn’t easy to step into the kitchen with Kathleen and work alongside her without being more in her way than helpful. But Heather is one of those people.  We had lunch, then Kathleen and Heather rolled truffles, and bonbons, made cookies, and that last minute batch of fudge. Sometime before dinner Heather was the angel that helped our tired brains figure out what serving dishes we needed to serve the food for the party, and cleverly labeled them with post its to avoid confusion.   She worked tirelessly, and was in such good spirits and so quick to laugh, it made the work enjoyable.  The later it got Heather even said she had her nightgown in the car and could take a catnap on the couch so we could get an early start, but thankfully, with her help we wound down around 2am. 

Heather is back in Owasso where she grew up. With her family, who, I am sure, are delighted to have her there.  I don’t completely hate her family for that, Just maybe a tiny bit.  You see there have been so many times this week as we are crazy preparing for things that someone has said, “That’s a Heather thing,” only to realize someone is going to have to suck it up and do it ourselves.

When I tell Heather that she is our favorite, I might not be kidding.

Not a Christmas Party Picture