From two months of home-cooked meals to a simple cup of coffee, here are some friends’ generous gestures.
Yevette Brown, 47, Flossmoor, a television producer and instructional designer for Governors State University: “When I had cancer I complained to a friend over the phone that I had lost all my hair and I felt ugly. … She sent me a black negligee. She was saying, `It doesn’t matter about the hair, you’re still beautiful.’ “
Ellen Dreyfus, 50, Homewood, rabbi of B’nai Yehuda Beth Shalom: “Twenty years ago in New York I had just given birth to my second child and we were moving 10 days later. … A friend called and asked `What day are the movers coming to pack you?’ She said, `I’ll be there at noon with lunch.’ She got on a crosstown bus with her baby and a picnic basket and she brought lunch over. It was so special and kind. … She didn’t say, `What do you need?’… she tried to think of a nice thing that I never would have asked for.”
Carol Tyner, 44, Glenview, occupational therapist: “Almost four years ago I had a brain tumor that required emergency surgery. I was in a bad marriage and had two children in grade school. Before I came home from the hospital a week later, several friends came to my home and scrubbed and cleaned and took care of all the things that had been neglected. These wonderful friends organized all my friends from different areas of my life and for almost two months someone brought dinner for my family every night. In addition, they took shifts and would come to visit, help with the laundry, gardening, whatever. I could not imagine having a better recovery.”
Suzanne Holmes, 37, Oak Park, at-home mom: “Lisa and I were to meet each other for coffee while our kids were at school. That morning my oldest was home sick so I had to call and cancel. We were both so bummed because this `date’ had been on the calendar for a while. About 30 minutes after I canceled, she showed up at my door with a special coffee for me and said, `Let’s have a phone date.’ She drove home, called and we chatted on the phone. It really touched my heart. She knew I’d need a break staying home with a sick child.”
Karen Busic-Miller, 50, Riverside, teacher: “When I was single and pregnant and, of course, broke, Shannon sewed an entire mix-and-match maternity wardrobe for me. She was also my labor coach and helped deliver my daughter.”
Judy Peters, 46, Naperville, at-home mom: For her 40th birthday, Peters received 40 gifts from her friend, Linda, in Ohio. “Some were big, like a $40 gift certificate to my favorite store, 40 stems of flowers, 40 pieces of fine raspberry chocolate candy. Some of the gifts that didn’t cost anything were the best, like 40 handwritten cards with her favorite recipes.”
Ann Brandt, 57, Chicago and St. Joseph, Mich., freelance writer: “By my 30th birthday I had two children, two car payments, one mortgage and a husband who was trying to make a go of his own business. A big celebration was out of the question. It didn’t matter because three of my neighbors came to the rescue. Kathy invited me for breakfast–homemade coffeecake. Around lunch, there was a knock at the door and Maureen handed me her famous hot-fudge pie with a candle as she sang “Happy Birthday.” For dinner, Joann wined and dined my husband and me at her house.”
