My friendship post was all set.  Listing how others have changed my life for the better was easy — and lovely.  

Then it happened.  Bennie Campbell died.  She died.  

 

As a friend and neighbor she was really just a beautiful soul.  No one loved to do for others like Bennie. She would call me and countless others and ask, “Is there anything I can do to help you today?”

How many friends say that to you on a daily basis? I’ll bet not many. How many do you ask if you can help daily?

Count each time someone has said something at just the right time, when needed most.               

Just a few of my most abundant and amazing friendship gifts, WORDS.Words better than any gift one can receive.These are all very personal. I remember them, I remember the time and I remember where I was.

These words have assisted me in changing the trajectory of my life.

Doug Smith, Nashville, Tennessee: “Is there anything I can do for you that will make your life easier?”

Bill Gaither, Indianapolis and Nashville, when my Mother was going into heart surgery: “Do you need anything, anything at all?”

Virginia Newton, Copenhagen, upon my beating myself up one day: “You are perfect.”  (Actually she’s the pretty perfect one!)

Carolyn Staley, Little Rock: “Laws don’t change people, hearts do.”

Debra Brawner, Nashville: “I sure miss you more than ever now.”

My Mother in Heaven, during the last month of her life: “I want to thank you for taking such good care of me.”

Ben Broyles, Conway: “Are you okay?” weeks after the death of my Mother, when he appeared at my front door to check on me.

Ruth Brooks Langford, Conway:  “Are you okay?  I love you.”

Jeremy Becker-Welts, Washington, DC: “Next time  you need ANYTHING and you want to get hold of me quickly send me a text to XXX.  I consider myself lucky to be able to help you.

Phyllis Hoffman DePiano, Birmingham, Alabama: “I love you. Know you are missing your Mom, you were a faithful daughter. You are precious.”

Scott Stewart, Denver: “Anything is possible.”

Cody Sublett, Conway: “Are you okay?”

Mikie McLendon, Magnolia, upon my arguing, crying for her NOT to do something: “How can I not help you with this?”  

 

Of course she DID what she does. Thankfully!

And these people have shown loyalty is in their DNA at times when I needed it most: 

David Phelps, Darren Irby, Stacey Scheirer, Ron Greene, Deborah Evans Price, Nancy May, Gary Price, Scott Stewart, Paris Broyles, Marjie McGraw, Angela Relder, Linda Thompson, Tracy Collins, Madeline Bell, Gary Robinson, Chris Reynolds, Kelly Van Patter, Marcia Minor, and on and on. I am a lucky girl.  

Which leads me back to the night Bennie Campbell died.  We could not find phone numbers for her daughters.

Here’s what happened: Paris Broyles called me; I called Patti Stobaugh; Patti tracked down a family member in Russellville who then reached her daughters.  

Called Steve Norris, Minister at Robinson and Center where Bennie attended.

 

Bennie did not die alone — Patti and David Stobaugh; Paris and Ben Broyles; Steve Norris; Elizabeth and Mark Copeland with their daughter Kinsey; and me.  

We waited for her daughters, Holly and Heather, surrounding them with love as Bennie had done for all of us so many times.  

Bennie Campbell enjoyed an abundance of friends, she was loved by many.  How lucky we were to have her friendship.

Will others say the same about us?  

One day at a time, one friendship at a time.  As Charlie Daniels says, “Let’s make the day count.”  

Yes, Charlie, let’s.

Brenda McClain is Gallery Director for Art on the Green, the art vortex for Central Arkansas. She covers the lives of bloggers in her column for 501 Life magazine. Her blog, brendamcclain.com tells about her life and experiences in the Entertainment Business as the former CEO for MPR, a Nashville, Tn. based Public Relations agency. 

You will usually find her reading the day’s headlines, drinking an espresso in Art on the Green.