I
was reading a fiction book last night, actually a romance novel, if you must
know and in it the heroine was discussing having a network of people to rely
on. She had a network of work associates who were there for her in her business
endeavors. She also had a network of friends who were willing to watch her
back. She only had to ask and things would happen. You need help. Boom. The
friends are there. You need a bodyguard. Boom. Someone knows someone who can
find one.
As
I was reading I realized that this is what I have in my life. I knew I had
friends, but when push came to shove last weekend at my son’s Eagle Scout
ceremony, I knew my network was strong and impressive.
Heather
Lumb stepped forward and made a show-stopping cake of a mountain representing
the climb to Eagle. Lisa DeFosse helped bake the eight piece cake. I made a
phone call to my friend Patrice Foley-Olsen for her party throwing skills and
asked her to wrangle things in the kitchen and for the reception food. Without
hesitating she agreed and brought in Jenn Merrill, another friend, to help her.
I knew my family, my mom, Mary Jane, my dad, Henry and my sister Beth would be
there for us, and they were. Whatever we needed, like taking pictures with my
camera, that’s what they did.
The
one thing I was not sure about was pictures. I asked a few people to take some
pictures, but the best I would hope for were a few shots from the back of the
church. What I realized was that sometimes friends don’t even need to be asked.
Roxanne Metayer, a former Scoutmaster herself, brought her camera and offered
to take pictures through the ceremony making sure we had the pictures we would
want. Of course I was thrilled and just now remembered, I took pictures for her
when her son Luke had his Eagle ceremony. It comes full circle.
My
network is amazingly strong and I’m happy to say that the ceremony and
reception went off without a hitch. I was able to be the proud mom, which meant
the world to me.
Think
about your network. If someone called you…would you be there? I would.
